Moving Forward
by Tinkerbell79
Summary: Story continues from the final battle with Voldemort. This story will show glimpses of all the characters moving on with life but mainly deals with Harry and Ginny and how their relationship progresses after the battle is won.
1. Finding the Way Together Again

After Voldemort had fallen, the survivors of the battle spent nearly two weeks living in the ruined castle. Partly it was to help rebuild the castle and give those who needed it, time to heal. Partly it was the reluctance to return to their normal lives and move past what had happened. Mostly it was a comfort to stay secluded at the castle. It was a comfort to be with those who had also been there and understood what had happened.

During the first of those two weeks at the castle, Harry became more and more withdrawn. The more time he had to look around him and see the damage that had been done and the lives that had been lost, the more he let the guilt weigh heavily on his shoulders. Harry had confided the rest of the story to Ron and Hermione as well as relaying some key points to Professor McGonagall but then he had stopped talking, to anyone. Harry spent all his time either in the boys dormitory alone or wandering the grounds beneath his invisibility cloak. He knew that if he let Ron or Hermione talk to him, like they kept trying to, they would tell him that it wasn't his fault; that it was because of him that the battle was finally won. What they didn't understand was his understanding that if he'd turned himself over to Voldemort earlier in the battle, it would have prevented unnecessary deaths like Fred's, Remus', and Tonks'. How could anyone forgive him for that? If he couldn't forgive himself, how could he expect anyone else to?

Harry decided that when he finally left the castle, he would go to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place to live on his own and decide what to do next. He thought about offering Hermione a place to stay there too, but he imagined that the Weasley's would take her in. Besides, it probably wouldn't be long before she ventured to Australia to lift the charm with which she had protected her parents. It would be nice to live alone he thought; no one there to pester him, no one to keep trying to get him to talk to them. It might take a little getting used to, living alone, but he'd have Kreacher and Buckbeak, so he wouldn't really be alone.

On the eighth day after the battle, a timid knock sounded on the dormitory door. Harry was surprised. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and pretty much everyone else who wanted to talk to him had just barged in. Out of sheer curiosity, more than a real interest in speaking to anyone, Harry stood and opened the door. Before him stood Madame Pomfrey who asked, "May I come in?"

Harry noticed that she was carrying a large case with her and suspected why she might have come, "Please," he said.

She entered behind him, set her case on the floor and turned to close the door. "I have been waiting for you to come to the infirmary to have your wounds treated but now that I have very few left in my care I decided I'd come to you. Will you let me look you over?" she asked.

Harry's first instinct was to turn her away. He didn't want to let anyone in right now. He felt his stomach churn, understanding that this was her way of showing him that she cared. He couldn't imagine her making a call to the dormitory under any other circumstances. He wanted to tell her that he didn't deserve her care. He wanted to push her away like he'd done with everyone else. He saw the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes and also understood that she needed to heal him to feel useful and to feel she was contributing all she could. It was like when Mrs. Weasley cooked for an army and took care of everyone, this was how Madame Pomfrey conquered her own emotions. Harry nodded mutely. He didn't have to say any thing; he just had to let her do her work.

"Remove your glasses and I'll start with your face," she instructed.

He did as instructed and felt her cool hands dabbing at cuts and swabbing them with dittany. When she had finished with his face, she asked him to strip down to his boxers and she would continue. When he flushed red, Madame Pomfrey informed him that he had nothing she hadn't seen before. Embarrassed as he was, Harry complied and perched on the edge of his bed so she could continue her work. What he hadn't counted on was Madame Pomfrey's ability to soothe with words.

As she was inspecting the scar left from where the locket had attached to his skin and the large patch of bruising where the killing curse had hit him, she began to talk quietly to him, "You know Harry, a lot of people are worried about you. We all understand how you must be feeling…"

"How would anyone know how I'm feeling?" Harry said, roughly interrupting her.

She faltered for a moment before continuing, "We understand that there must be a lot of guilt connected to your position in all of this but it is unfounded..."

"People died because I didn't just turn myself over sooner to Voldemort," Harry said.

"Maybe, but those people knew what they were fighting for and what the consequences might be. How do you know that if you had turned yourself over sooner, there might be a lot more people dead now, including you?" She asked.

"I don't," Harry said simply, "But the fact remains that I am the one he was after. Its my fault that they got killed."

"Everyone that was in the castle fighting was here on their own free will. You did not personally ask or expect anyone to be here, did you?" She asked.

"Well no, but…" Harry said.

"No one blames you, Harry," Madame Pomfrey said gently, "You need to forgive yourself. There are a lot of people downstairs who care about you and want to help you through this hard time. You may not see yourself as the hero that they all do, but you need to let them care for you. If you shut yourself away, you're just another casualty of this war. Do you really think any one of the people who gave their lives would want you to waste the rest of your's with guilt and unhappiness?"

Tears were now falling from Harry's eyes, onto his boxers, leaving wet splotches. How had she known just what to say that would help slightly to ease the burden? She continued to clean cuts, heal burns and swab dittany on whatever she could. When she had cared for what felt like each and every inch of him, she rose and asked, "Do you think I got everything?"

Harry nodded and quietly said, "Thank you." To his surprise she gave him a quick hug before quickly picking up her case and bustling out of the room.

"Come see me if you require anymore care," she called behind her, her voice thick with tears.

Harry had began to pull on a clean pair of jeans that had appeared on his bed several days ago when Ron, Hermione, and Ginny spilled through the door that Madame Pomfrey had left open. "Oy, girls cover your eyes, Harry's practically starkers up here," Ron said as he flopped onto his bed. Hermione politely turned her back on Harry while he finished dressing but Ginny just stood rooted to her spot and stared.

"Gin," Ron said, "Didn't you hear me? Give Harry a bit of privacy and turn around."

Ginny appeared to have not heard Ron because rather than turning away as Harry buttoned and zipped his jeans, she drew closer to him, her eyes riveted to the ugly mess of scar and bruises in the center of his chest. She tentatively ran a finger around the circular scar before looking up into his eyes and asking, "Is this where it hit you?"

Ginny's touch had taken his breath away, partly due to the pain it caused, but more because this was the most intimately she had touched him in a year and his body still reacted to her as it had then. Upon regaining his voice Harry said, "Yeah, that's where the killing curse hit me. Madame Pomfrey said that while it looks like a normal bruise, it isn't and will probably look that way for months, at least."

"What's this scar from?" Ginny asked, as again, her finger traced its outline.

"When Hermione and I went to Godric's Hollow, Nagini attacked me in Bathilda's house. The horcrux kind of, came to life, and attached itself to my chest. Hermione had to use a severing charm to remove it," Harry explained.

"What do you mean, 'came to life'?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know if it was proximity to Voldemort or Nagini, who was another horcrux, or both, but it started to twitch," Harry said, "Like it had a mind of its own."

Ginny looked stunned. Her eyes sparkled with tears and she appeared to be grasping for words. Finally she gathered Harry into her arms and said, "You went through so much last year, I'm sorry."

Harry was unable to respond; he just held onto her and breathed in her scent. Holding her to his bare chest was unimaginable pleasure and sent all the feelings he'd been trying to repress for the last year coursing back into his veins. The dormant creature who resided inside him purred to life and gave a mighty roar. It intended to win her back even as his mind was telling him that he no longer deserved her. When Ginny finally pulled away; she hastily wiped her tears and retreated from the room.

Harry picked up a clean tee-shirt and pulled it over his head before settling himself back on his bed. "Let's hear it," he said to Ron and Hermione who were watching him intently from atop Ron's bed.

Hermione cleared her throat a little and said, "Madame Pomfrey is right, you know. You have to forgive yourself. No one blames you."

Hermione elbowed Ron and he added, "We can understand how you're feeling…"

Harry interrupted, "Really, do you honestly think you understand how I'm feeling?"

"Well, we can imagine," Ron said fiercely, "It's not as if we couldn't guess how it would feel if we put ourselves in your shoes. But you need to do the same and put yourself in our shoes and understand that we do not blame you and we hate to watch you suffer with this guilt."

"I'll try," Harry said simply.

"Mom and Dad wanted me to tell you that you're coming home with us when we all finally leave the castle," Ron informed him.

"No, I'm going to go to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place," Harry said.

"Harry," Hermione said wringing her hands, "You can't live there, it's in shambles. Bill and Charlie went to check it out and said it'll need a lot of work before anyone could live there. I'm sorry."

"Besides," said Ron, "Mom reckons that if you went off to live on your own, you wouldn't take care of yourself properly, not while dealing with this kind of grief. She wants all her children to accompany her and my father home to stay until Fred's funeral and she considers you one of her own."

Harry's eyes filled with tears. How could Ron's mother still consider him like a son when he was to blame for the death of one of her biological sons? It was hard for him to fathom that kind of love and forgiveness.

"She also said that she didn't care if you owned the finest house in all of London, you needed to be with family, to be taken care of," Hermione said, "I'm not sure she's going to give you much of a choice, but will you come with us?"

Harry nodded weakly as tears continued to leak from his eyes.

From that day forward, Harry made a great effort to eat meals in the Great Hall with everyone and to lend a hand where he could with the repairs being made to the castle. Slowly, people were approaching him to talk, but they seemed to understand that he was still in a hard place. Mostly, people showed him their support by simply grasping his hand or patting him on the shoulder. Harry kept waiting for someone to track him down to lay blame at his feet for the death of their loved one, but no one did.

As the days wore on, the castle's appearance vastly improved. Things were mended; others that were damaged beyond repair by curses that had rendered them unmendable, were replaced. Harry knew that, in spite of the repairs, he would never be able to fully scrub the image of the castle in that state of disaster from his mind. It saddened him that the castle had lost that feeling of what made it home for him. Perhaps it was time to stop thinking of the castle as home though. Maybe home was the Burrow. Maybe he wouldn't again feel a true sense of home until he shared a home with a family of his own. Maybe his home was simply wherever Ginny was.

Once Harry stopped isolating himself and spending more time around the other inhabitants of the castle, he noticed the odd, almost-dance he and Ginny did around each other. They were unfailingly polite and reserved with one another, but below the surface, something more simmered. He felt an undeniable urge to speak with her but knew that the time wasn't yet right. Harry was trying to be cautious about Ginny. He wasn't sure how to approach her about being together again. He knew it had hurt her greatly when he'd broken things off at the beginning of last summer. He was worried that rushing to her now and expecting to pick up where they had left off would be disrespectful. For all Harry knew, Ginny had gotten over him during their time apart and wasn't at all interested in getting back together. While he felt that he no longer deserved her; he couldn't contain or deny the longing he had for her.

After those first few nights of what was the deep, dreamless sleep of utter exhaustion, Harry's sleep was marred by nightmares. Tiny details changed between each occurrence of the dream but the basic plot line was always the same. In the dream, he was back in the castle the night of the battle. More people were dying, he was missing a horcrux, and everything was just going wrong. It was all his 'what ifs' in reference to the battle playing out in his mind while he slept. They were horrifying in a way that the visions he had seen while still connected to Voldemort had never been. Finding it hard to sleep most nights, Harry found himself climbing up to the astronomy tower to star-gaze while waiting for true exhaustion to take over. He found that if he kept himself awake long enough, he dreamt less.

One night, several days after he'd given up his self imposed isolation, he was sitting against the wall in the astronomy tower watching the stars twinkle above him. He was amazed to find that if you sat still long enough watching the stars, you really could sense the slow rotation of the earth by the slow shifting of the stars in the sky. The sound of someone quietly trudging up the stairs broke his concentration on the sky. He turned just in time to see Ginny notice him sitting on the floor.

"Oh," She breathed, "I didn't know anyone was up here. I'll go."

"Please stay, Ginny," Harry said, "Come sit with me."

Without hesitation, she settled herself beside him, leaving an obvious gap of nearly a foot between them. Untangling the blanket he had brought up to the tower to ward against the cool air of spring, he offered some of it to Ginny and said, "If you move a bit closer we can share."

She slid closer, still not closing the gap entirely, and asked, "What are you doing up here? I thought you were done with isolating yourself."

"I am, but I can't sleep," Harry begin, "Well, that's not entirely true. I can sleep but I have awful nightmares and the only thing that helps, even a little bit, is keeping myself awake until I am completely exhausted."

"What do you dream about?" Ginny asked, not bothering to turn and look at him.

"The battle," Harry said simply, "What are you doing up here?"

"Couldn't sleep. I decided I'd come watch the stars, I find them to be very calming," Ginny replied.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, just watching the stars overhead as they inched westward across the sky. Ginny's hand slipped into his own under the blanket and her fingers twined with his. Still neither turned to look at the other but simply held onto what felt like a start back to one another.

After what could have been two minutes or two hours of silent hand-holding, Ginny finally spoke, "I waited for you."

Harry was unsure of what to say. Part of him wanted to confess all his doubts about them getting back together. Another part of him wanted to hold her and kiss her until his dreams at night would be filled with nothing but her. Finally he said, "I don't deserve you. You shouldn't have waited."

"Why would you assume that you don't deserve me?" Ginny asked, "It's not all that rubbish about everything being your fault again is it?"

"Well partly," Harry admitted, "But more importantly, I know how much I hurt you last summer when I broke it off between us. I feel like a git hoping that everything can go back to how it was."

"It did hurt," Ginny replied, "But I understand that just because you broke up with me, doesn't mean that you don't have feelings for me. I know that you were just trying to protect me." Harry nodded and Ginny continued, "Do you still have feelings for me?"

Harry nodded again and Ginny asked, "Do you want to get back together?"

Harry nodded again and said, "I couldn't ask you those questions myself, out of guilt, but cannot lie when asked. Its been hard to leave you alone, but it felt necessary." He turned toward her and ran a finger down her cheek before saying, "I am absolutely crazy about you."

A soft whimper escaped Ginny's lips and she said, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Harry confessed, "I used to take out the Hogwarts map and watch your dot hoping that you'd know I was thinking about you and missing you."

"The tee-shirt you were wearing before Bill and Fleur's wedding got left behind in Ron's room when the three of you made your quick escape. I slept with it until I went back to school. I kept it under my pillow at school and on a couple of days that I needed some extra strength I wore it under my uniform," Ginny admitted, "It smelled like you."

"I wondered what happened to that shirt," Harry said, "I used to write you letters and then burn them."

"Me too," Ginny replied, "Are we done competing to see who missed who more?"

"Only if you are going to kiss me now," Harry said, "Otherwise, let me tell you all about…."

Harry's words were interrupted by Ginny, cupping his chin in her hand, turning his face to hers. She rested her forehead against his before moving her lips to tenderly caress his. Harry responded similarly reigning in the desire that fizzed below the surface until Ginny deepened the kiss, prodding his lips apart with her soft, warm tongue. When Harry finally pulled away, after what felt like minutes but was definitely closer to hours judging by the amount the sky had lightened since they last looked at it, they grinned at one another.

'Back together then?" Ginny asked.

"Definitely," Harry sighed.

"We'd better both get to our beds or we'll have my Mum to answer to," Ginny said regretfully.

"I'll walk you back to the common room," Harry said gallantly as he held out a hand to pull Ginny up from the floor.

As Ginny took his arm she carefully asked, "Maybe later you can start telling me about your adventures during the last year?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed, blanching a little, "And in return you can tell me what this place was really like last year."

"We'll take turns," Ginny said very quietly, "It's bound to be hard on both of us, but important. One condition I have for us getting back together, is no secrets."

"Agreed," Harry said.

The couple took over an hour to get back to the common room. There were entirely too many tempting nooks and crannies in the castle to take advantage of along the way. Finally separating in the common room to ascend their separate staircases, both were ready for some sleep. "Good-night," they whispered.

Harry lay down in his bed, careful not to wake Ron, Dean, Seamus or Neville, as he quietly drew the curtains around his bed. He couldn't repress the grin that spread across his face but he felt a small measure of guilt over his happiness. It was hard to feel that he deserved such happiness in the face of all that had happened. Harry fell quickly into a deep sleep.

Up the other set of stairs, Ginny lay grinning in her bed as well. Carefully she rearranged her features to feign sleep as her mother tiptoed into the dorm to check on Ginny.

**Author's Note:** This is not my first fan-fic, but it is the first I have written for Harry Potter. Undoubtedly there are massive quantities of HP stories out there – I have read a fair few of them myself. Everyone has their own version of how the story should have continued at the end of book seven and this is mine. I just ask for kindness and any advice that might be out there. I have resisted putting this story down for a long time and finally its catching up with me – at times its all I can think about. I blame seeing the 6th movie….seeing the Harry and Ginny scenes just drove home how much I wanted to explore how their relationship plays out. Thanks!


	2. Decision

Harry didn't wake again until early the next afternoon. Immediately he realized that he'd not had the battle dreams at all and a smile spread across his face. Rather than the battle dreams, his head had been full of Ginny in dreams that rivaled the ones he'd had in his sixth year before they'd gotten together. It was an odd sensation to wake up smiling; he couldn't honestly remember the last time it had happened. Again he felt guilt over the happiness that was currently gracing his life but quickly pushed those thoughts from his head choosing to believe, at least for the moment, that he was entitled to a little happiness sometimes. He bent to gather clean clothing and a towel from the foot of his bed before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

"You're finally awake," Ron said, as he burst into the dorm, "Mum's been sending me up here hourly, since 8:00 this morning, to check on you. The first two times, you just pulled the blankets over your head and rolled over. The last time, you used some mighty colorful language."

"Sorry mate," Harry said with a smirk, "I was pretty tired. I haven't been sleeping well."

"I've noticed," Ron said, "What have you been dreaming about? The Voldemort dreams have stopped right?"

"Oh yeah, these are just run-of-the-mill nightmares, mostly about the battle," Harry replied.

"Oh, that's good," Ron said with a sigh, "Not that you're having nightmares, but that you're not having the Voldemort visions anymore."

"Well considering he's dead," Harry said, "That would be very disconcerting. I hope I haven't been keeping you and the guys awake."

"Nah, not like you did sometimes with those other dreams," Ron said with a shudder, "With those, it was like you were possessed and we couldn't wake you until the vision was over."

"Well, I'm going to jump in the shower," Harry said, becoming uncomfortable talking about his dreams.

"Okay, I'll see you down in the Great Hall for lunch then?" Ron asked, "I think they're handing out more jobs around the castle after lunch."

Harry nodded and headed into the shower. As he stood in the hot spray, he thought about how difficult the next few days would be. They would soon be leaving the castle and going home to the Burrow. The majority of the repairs that were left to be made couldn't be done by the group left at the school. Harry imagined that returning to the Burrow might bring about a fresh wave of sorrow over Fred. Seeing his room, his seat at the table in the Burrow's kitchen, or his old artwork and portraits on the walls was sure to prove difficult for the family. There would be funerals to attend soon; Fred's, Remus', and Tonks', for sure. Maybe Colin's as well. Harry wondered briefly if there would be a funeral for Snape; he'd have to ask Professor McGonagall. Harry was grateful that he had one bright spot in all of this, Ginny. Having one thing to look to, for happiness and the promise of a brighter future, would help him make it through the horrible days that were to come. Again the guilt washed over him thinking about how people like George, Andromeda, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were suffering. How could any of them possibly be seeing a bright spot in all of this? He knew eventually they would find something or someone to help them move forward. After Sirius' and then Dumbledore's deaths, Harry had been motivated to continue moving forward by focusing on eliminating Voldemort from all of their lives. His happiness over Ginny was making him feel selfish but he knew that he couldn't just deny it.

When Harry entered the Great Hall twenty minutes later, he saw the Weasley family and Hermione grouped together at one end of the Gryffindor table. He blew out a nervous breath as he approached. He had gotten past his need to be isolated; it wasn't that. But he wasn't sure how ready he was to be under the scrutiny of Ginny's five older brothers. He wondered idly if Ginny had shared the news of their reunion with anyone or not.

There was an empty seat next to Ginny and across from Ron, into which Harry gratefully sank. She turned slightly toward him and smiled.

"Harry," Molly called down the table, "I'm glad you finally had a good night's sleep. Feeling better?'

"Much better, thanks," he replied.

He felt Ginny grasp his hand under the table and whisper, "Any dreams last night?"

"Only about you," Harry whispered back mischievously.

Ginny blushed but didn't say anything further. Harry filled his plate and ate like he hadn't in a year. It seemed like his appetite improved when he was in good spirits.

"So Harry," Ron said, "I woke up around one in the morning and you weren't there, where did you go in the middle of the night?"

"Maybe I was in the bathroom," Harry said, trying to avoid answering the question.

"I was awake for about fifteen minutes waiting for you to come back. I don't think you were in the bathroom," Ron accused.

"Well you know those dreams I was telling you about earlier?" Harry said, "I have found that the longer I stay up, and the more exhausted I am before I go to bed, the less likely I am to have those dreams. So I wander around the castle, trying to stay awake."

Ron looked pityingly at Harry before asking, "Where did you wander to last night?"

"The astronomy tower," Harry said.

He felt Ginny stiffen a little at his side as Hermione, who was seated across from her, gasped a little and loudly whispered, "Ginny, didn't you say that you were up in the astronomy tower last night?"

"Sorry," Harry whispered to Ginny, "I guess we should have compared stories."

"So you two are back together then?" Ron asked keenly.

"Yeah," Harry and Ginny replied in unison.

"About bloody time," Ron said grinning, "When did this happy occasion take place?"

"Just last night," Ginny said, "I went up there to watch the stars when I couldn't sleep and Harry was already there so we watched together and sorted things out."

"Oh," Hermione cooed, "I'm so glad. Neither of you were happy when you had to be apart."

"Thanks," Harry said to Hermione, blushing. It was embarrassing to think that Hermione might have noticed, more than he'd thought, how much he missed Ginny during the last year.

If the rest of the Weasleys had overheard the news, they hadn't made any mention of it, which suited Harry, fine. He wouldn't have been comfortable with their relationship coming to light in such a troubled time for the family. Toward the end of the meal, Mrs. Weasley announced that the day after tomorrow they would all be heading home to the Burrow. Professor McGonagall approached their table and asked for volunteers to work on different projects throughout the castle. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry volunteered to work outside levitating pieces of the castle walls that littered the lawns into one large pile to be dealt with later. As the four of them left the castle, Hermione suggested that she and Ron start on the East side of the castle while Harry and Ginny start on the West.

"I wonder if the pairings are for our benefit or theirs," Ginny wondered aloud when Hermione was out of earshot.

"Probably both," Harry replied with a snort, "Are they together then?"

"I'm not sure," Ginny said, "I have caught them snogging three different times in the past week but when I asked Hermione if they were together now she seemed reluctant to say."

"Do you think they just want to keep it a secret out of respect or something?" Harry asked.

"Maybe," Ginny said, "I can understand that. I didn't really want to announce that you and I are back together until later. I think Hermione would tell me if they were together."

"Unless she didn't want to tell you either, because you and I hadn't found ourselves back together yet. I'll ask Ron about it later," Harry said, "I can't imagine why they wouldn't be together. They've been mental over each other for ages."

The couple worked quietly for the first half hour. It was slow work that required some concentration. Some of the chunks of castle wall were quite large and they needed to be moved into a heap near the edge of the forbidden forest. Once they got into a rhythm, it became easier and they began to talk to one another.

"Ginny, how are you doing?" Harry asked.

"I'm okay," Ginny said after a little thought. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you and your entire family fought in a battle, which proved to be fatal for one of your brothers, and you survived a school year, which the more I hear about it, sounds horrific at best," Harry explained, "I just want to know how you really are."

"You forgot to add that I thought you were dead for about fifteen minutes," Ginny said. She was quiet for a minute before, with tears in her eyes, she continued, "I am surviving at the moment. I can barely stand to think about Fred. I imagine that his death has't sunk in all the way. I'm scared to go home in a few days. I like to think I'm strong but going back to school in September is going to be traumatic for anyone who was there last year."

Harry took a step toward her and wrapped his arms around her, "Gin, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

But Ginny wasn't finished, "This is going to sound so selfish but I can't help it. The worst part was thinking that you were dead. I've been in love with you for so long, I couldn't imagine letting you go. So yes, I'm struggling with things, but the fact that you are alive and I get to go on loving you makes everything else somehow bearable. Its like I know that the future will be brighter because you are still going to be part of it. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes," Harry whispered, "Last night and all this morning, I felt guilty every time I let myself feel even a moment of happiness over you and I. It seems like I shouldn't be allowed to feel this joyous during a time when so many are suffering."

"You need to remember that this kind of joy and happiness is part of what we were fighting for. The end of the war signifies a time that we can get out from the wrath of Voldemort and the misery he spread. Also, no one would begrudge you something that makes you happy. Your entire life, since you returned to the wizarding world, has been filled with strife. You deserve some happiness," Ginny explained.

Stunned by the clarity of her reasoning, Harry was momentarily silent. Finally he said, "However, we don't need to advertise that we're back together."

"Exactly," Ginny agreed, "I would love to shout it from the rooftops, that you are mine again, but now is not the time."

Returning to their earlier topic, Harry asked, "You're really doing okay then?"

"I'm sure I'll have good and bad days, like everyone else," Ginny said, "But yet, for the moment, I'm getting by."

"Will you let me know when its a bad day and you could use a little extra support?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but only if you let me know when your bad days are, in return," Ginny countered.

"It's a deal," Harry agreed, "We should get back to work before we get caught slacking-off."

For another hour, they worked on moving the debris. When they had cleared everything they could find on the West side of the building, they moved around to the South side to continue their work.

"Harry," Ginny said after a bit, "How are you really doing?"

Wanting to be as honest with Ginny as she'd been with him, he took a moment to think before saying, "Surviving, like you. I don't think I'm really dealing with Fred, Remus, or Tonk's deaths yet. The battle dominates my dreams and, probably subconsciously, most of my thoughts. Whether I knew it or not, my life since I was eleven years old was moving toward that final duel with Voldemort. Now that its all over, I have no idea what I'm going to do with the rest of my life and that's terrifying. The only thing that I'm sure of right now is you and I."

"You didn't mention how you blame yourself for what happened and the guilt you feel over it," Ginny said, "Does that mean you've gotten over that?"

"Well, no," Harry confessed, "But every time I bring that up, everyone has something to say about it, so I kept that to myself."

"Wise move," Ginny said, "Because you are wrong and everyone else is right this time."

Together, they returned to work, secure in the knowledge that they really knew how the other was doing and knowing that they'd be there to support each other through the hard parts. After another hour of work, they'd nearly finished the South side of the castle when they heard someone calling their names.

"Harry, Ginny," called Molly's voice from around the corner, "Where are you?"

"We're here Mum," Ginny called back.

A moment later, Mrs. Weasley appeared around the corner and she stumped toward them with a large basket over her arm. "I brought you some pumpkin juice so you don't get dehydrated."

"Thanks Mum," Ginny said as she poured herself a glass full and took a long drink.

Harry accepted a glass too and drank it quickly. After Ginny had finished her second glass, Mrs. Weasley said, "Ginny, will you take this basket around to where Ron and Hermione are working and offer them some juice too? I need to talk to Harry for a moment."

"Sure," Ginny said shooting a quick glance at Harry.

Harry nodded at her, assuring her that he was fine without her. As Ginny disappeared around the Southeast corner of the building, Mrs. Weasley turned to him and asked, "Did I hear at lunch today that you and Ginny have gotten back together?"

"Um, yeah," Harry said, flushing with embarrassment.

"I am so glad dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "Ginny was miserable without you."

"And I without her," Harry added.

"I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to hide your relationship from us," Mrs. Weasley said, "And you and Ginny shouldn't feel guilty that you have this to be happy about. Arthur and I fell in love during the first war and were torn between the elation of true love and the grief and terror that accompanies a war. We gave each other an enormous amount of support."

"Thank you," Harry said as Molly gathered him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry about Fred. I'm not sure I've been able to say that to you yet, but I am terribly sorry. He, along with Ron and George, was one of my first friends at Hogwarts and made my time there very memorable."

Mrs. Weasley cried on his shoulder before finally saying, "Thank you Harry."

"Are you coping okay?" Harry asked, "Let me know if there is anything I can do at all."

Mrs. Weasley sniffled before saying, "Don't you know how much you have already helped? Its because of you that I can rest safely knowing that Fred's the only one of my children who will die at Voldemort's hand. Others have not been so lucky. While there is great sadness in the losses we all have suffered, we are all rejoicing in the knowledge that the battle is won and there are brighter days ahead."

Harry opened his mouth to speak but closed it again when he realized he had no words.

"It gives me great happiness to see you and Ginny, as well as Ron and Hermione, together. All I have ever wanted was for my children to be happy and knowing that in all this turmoil, some of my children have found what will undoubtedly lead them into very happy futures, pleases me immensely."

Harry was surprised at how casually she seemed to hint that she believed that one day he and Ginny, as well as Ron and Hermione, would be married. Again, at a loss for words, he simply said, "Thank you."

"Just take care of each other and help each other through the rough patches ahead," Mrs. Weasley whispered, "And I wouldn't let any of Ginny's brothers catch you snogging, she is their only sister and the baby of the family after all."

Feeling the blush creeping up his neck, Harry shuffled uncomfortably and said, "I'd better get back to work on this rubble before we run out daylight."

When Ginny returned, Mrs. Weasley took the basket and hurried back into the castle. When she was well out of earshot Ginny asked nervously, "Did she give you a hard time?"

"No, actually I think she was giving us her blessing," Harry said, with a certain amount of surprise in his voice.

"Really?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, she said it makes her very happy to see you and Ron happy. She wants us to take care of each other and support one another and not to feel guilty about finding happiness in this troubled time," Harry said.

"Wow," Ginny said.

"She said she and your father fell in love during the last war, so she understands," Harry said, "Your mother is an amazing woman."

"I know," Ginny agreed.

After they, along with Ron and Hermione, had made sure that they had not missed a single piece of rubble, they wandered down to sit by the lake until dinnertime. Harry lay on his back, under a tree beside the lake, feeling more relaxed than he had in ages. Ginny curled up beside him and he tucked his arm around her as her head found its way onto his chest. His heart beat steadily under her head as he buried his face in her hair, breathing in her familiar scent. After what Mrs. Weasley had said today, it was hard not to see the logic in what she said. How could anything that made him so happy be wrong?

"Tonight, up in the astronomy tower, I want you to start telling me about what you, Ron, and Hermione did last year," Ginny said.

"Okay," Harry agreed, "And you will share some of your story as well."

"Yes," Ginny agreed.

Before dinner arrived from the kitchens below, Professor McGonagall stood at the head of the Great Hall and made an announcement, "It is my pleasure to announce to all of you that Kingsley Shacklebolt has been officially named the new Minster of Magic." She paused to allow for the cheers and applause that filled the hall before continuing, "One of his first orders of business, since being named earlier today, was to announce that Hogwarts will open as usual on September first." More applause filled the hall and an uncharacteristic smile spread across her face. "I have agreed to take on the position of Headmistress for next year and, as such, I would like to meet with all students after dinner. Thank you."

As food appeared on the house tables, hisses of conversation could be heard all around the Great Hall. There was much to discuss about the coming school year. How much of what they'd learned the previous year, while under Death Eaters' rule, would count? What would happen to students who had been unable to finish their studies during the previous year? Harry barely had a moment to wonder if Professor McGonagall's announcement had any meaning for Ron, Hermione and him, when she appeared at their table and said, "You three are included in the students I mentioned just now. I expect to see you at the meeting." Harry watched in astonishment as she made her way around the room, no doubt telling other seventh years the same thing.

Harry ate his meal mostly in silence, thinking about what he wanted to do about school. He noticed that Ron, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, Neville, Pavarti, and all the other seventh years were eating in silence equal to his own, no doubt contemplating the same thing he was.

When the plates were cleared away, the Great Hall cleared out leaving only students, professors, and Headmistress McGonagall behind. "Everyone please come to the front of the room so I don't have to yell to be heard," McGonagall asked. After a minute or two of shuffling seats, everyone was settled and she continued, "Shacklebolt and I have agreed that anyone who did not get to complete their magical education, due to the war, is welcome back for next term. While I plan to meet with each of you on an individual basis to discuss your education, there are some basic guidelines I will be following. If you missed the majority of last year, you will have to repeat it. If you missed less than half of last year, you will more than likely move onto the next year in your education. I must also tell you that as long as you're of age, you aren't required to return. If you would prefer to move on with life, and not come back here next year, that is entirely your own decision."

McGonagall sat at the head table where a large stack of student files had appeared. She summoned a folder from the top and called, "Abbott, Hannah."

Hannah made her way up to the front table and sat in the chair that McGonagall conjured in front of the table. Their entire conversation lasted less than five minutes before McGonagall summoned the next folder and moved to the next student. Harry reckoned it wouldn't take long to make it to his name. For the most part, only sixth and seventh years had remained at the school to fight. There were exceptions; a few students under seventeen, like Ginny, had ended up at the castle after the battle with their families. Additionally, not everyone old enough to fight had stayed.

Hermione leaned across the table and asked Harry, "Do you think you'll come back?"

"I don't know yet," Harry said honestly, "What about you?"

"I want to finish my education," Hermione said, "I'll be here."

Harry shifted his gaze to Ron who said, "I think I'll come back. I want to be wherever Hermione is next year. Besides, I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I've decided I'm not interested in being an Auror after the last year."

Ginny said nothing; just sat quietly and waited for her name to be called. Harry took her hand in his and gave her a tiny smile.

At the point in the list 'Potter' should have been called, McGonagall skipped past his name. In surprise, Harry glanced toward the front of the room. McGonagall caught his eye and made a motion for him to remain seated.

After every other student had met with McGonagall, she said, "Harry," and motioned him to the front. As he walked to the front of the room, he noticed that, suddenly, they were the only two left.

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Harry, but you are a special case indeed. I thought we might need more than the five or so minutes I spent with everyone else," She explained.

"No problem," Harry replied.

"Before we discuss whether or not you are even interested in returning to school next term, I have a letter from Kingsley for you," McGonagall said as she handed him an envelope with a heavy wax seal.

Harry opened the letter and read:

_Dear Harry,_

_I would be a fool not to offer the person who rid us all of Lord Voldemort a place in my Auror Department. If you feel that you are ready to be done with school__,__ you are more than welcome to take up the position you have rightfully earned. However, know that the position is __your's__ whenever you are ready for it, if you want it. You can go back to school for your seventh year and __then__ claim your position. Or you could go back to school for your seventh year and go onto to __Auror __training and then claim your position. My point is that there is no rush for you to move into this role. You have earned it and it will be reserved for you. I understand that you might be ready to become an __Auror__ to help us round up the rest of the __Death Eaters__. But I also understand that you might want to step back, return to school and just live a normal life again. The decision is yours__;__ choose wisely._

_All my best,_

_Kingsley_

When Harry indicated that he was finished, McGonagall continued, "Now, I'll outline your other option. If you return to school in September, you will be returning for your seventh year. You can continue with all the NEWT level classes you took during your sixth year. You would be the natural choice for Quidditch captain since you were the captain during your sixth year. However, Miss Weasley was named captain last year, in your absence, and so she has a right to it as well. I don't know what your feelings are about being prefect or Head Boy, but many of the professors, as well as myself, would like to see you awarded with an honor like that. I know that Kingsley's offer is attractive to you, but I would be dishonest if I didn't tell you that I really hope that you decide to put it off for a year, at least, to come back to school. Maybe, without the threat of Lord Voldemort hanging over all of us, you'd find that another career path is more attractive to you. There's nothing saying that you have to follow the path that that's currently in front of you."

When she finally stopped speaking Harry sighed and said, "I have no idea what choice to make. Part of me wants to come back, part of me wants to move forward."

"Coming back to school would be moving forward as well, just not in the same way," Professor McGonagall pointed out.

"I wasn't trying to make it sound like returning to school was a step backward," Harry clarified, "I need some time to think about it. How long until I have to decide?"

"Well, I suppose that you have until September 1st, technically. But I hope you come to a decision before then," McGonagall said.

Harry sighed again and said, "I'll consider it. If I were to come back, perhaps Ginny and I could co-captain the quidditch team? "

"I'm sure that could be arranged," Professor McGonagall said, "What about becoming Head Boy or prefect?"

"I'd honestly prefer to be neither, but if it's inevitable, I'd prefer prefect," Harry offered.

"Okay," she said, "You're free to go."

Harry left the Great Hall and was instantly bombarded by Ron and Hermione.

"So," Ron said, "Are the three amigos returning to Hogwarts together next year?"

"I don't know yet, I haven't decided," Harry said, "Where's Ginny?"

"She said you'd know where to find her," Hermione supplied.

Harry headed off in the direction of the astronomy tower with Ron and Hermione trailing in his wake.

"How come you haven't decided?" Hermione called after him.

"There are extenuating circumstances where I am concerned…" Harry told them.

"Aren't there always?" Ron smirked under his breath.

"But before I decide one way or another, I need Ginny's opinion," Harry explained.

"Oh, is that how it is now?" Ron asked, "Ditching your best mates for a girl."

"Yep," Harry said, "Her opinion means more to me than anyone's."

Ron surprised Harry by saying, "Good, she deserves that."

"Let us know what and when you decide," Hermione said as Harry hurried up the stairs.

**Author's Note:** Thank you to the three of you who reviewed the first chapter. Its encouraging! I'm, of course, hoping to hear from more people after this second chapter. I love to get feedback and suggestions. Let me know if I'm forgetting something or if there's something that you'd really like to see happen. I always take suggestions under consideration. The next chapter will be all Harry and Ginny up in the tower talking over Harry's decision and sharing the first parts of their stories from the year before with each other. If you have an opinion about which way Harry should decide, let me know! Thanks!


	3. Up in the Tower

Harry thundered up the stairs to the astronomy tower and without pausing to catch his breath, launched himself at Ginny. He caught her up in a tight embrace and pressed his lips to her own. After several long minutes in which the world shrank to include just the two of them and the delightful things their mouths were doing, Ginny pulled away and while gasping for air asked, "What was that for? Not that I'm complaining."

Winded himself, Harry panted, "I resisted kissing you all day as not to be seen by anyone. Now that we are finally alone I couldn't help it."

"Well then, by all means, less talking and more kissing," Ginny whispered as her lips trailed kisses down his neck.

"As bloody brilliant as that sounds we have A LOT to talk about," Harry countered. At that moment Ginny's mouth found a particularly sensitive spot below his right ear and he amended, "But we have all night long to talk."

Harry's hands tangled into her long fiery hair and directed her mouth back toward his own. He willingly plunged into the total obliteration that came when Ginny kissed him with this kind of passion. He remembered her kisses to be fiery on the surface but sweet underneath during her sixth year. Now kissing her was heady and scorching, all traces of sweetness vanished. He attributed the difference to the current times and everyone's desire to have some kind of escape from it all. He felt it too, the longing to completely loose himself in her. He imagined that as the pain and memories faded the sweetness would slowly seep back in.

After what was probably an hour and during which time Ginny had removed both his glasses and his shirt their fervor began to recede. Harry released the hold with which he had Ginny pinned against the cool tower wall. They rested their foreheads against one another as their heartbeats slowed and their breathing returned to normal.

"So," Ginny finally uttered through swollen lips, "We had things to talk about?"

"Yes," Harry said briefly as he willed his body to be calm.

"Does it have anything to do with whether or not you are returning to school in the fall?" Ginny asked.

"It has everything to do with that," Harry said, "You see, McGonagall saved me until last because school is not my only option for next year. She had a letter for me from Kingsley. Here you can read it."

Ginny took the letter and slid down to sit on the floor with her back resting against the wall. As she read Harry snagged his shirt off the floor and pulled it back over his head. Squinting around in the dark tower Harry had no idea what had become of his glasses, pulling his wand from his pocket he said, "Accio glasses," and they zoomed into his hand from where Ginny had set them on a ledge. As Ginny finished reading Harry slid down the wall to settle on the floor beside her.

"This is amazing Harry," Ginny said as she handed him back the letter. He could hear something in her voice and wondered what she was really thinking. "So you're going to be in London next year?"

"I don't know yet," Harry said, "I want your opinion, well more than that really, I want you and I to make this decision together."

"What?" Ginny asked, "It is your life and your decision. I can't help you to decide."

"But Gin, you are part of my life. I hope you are a big part of my life for the rest of my life. You need to be considered in this decision," Harry confessed, "It affects you too."

"I appreciate that and am astounded at the implications of what you are asking, but what if I help you make this decision and in the end you are unhappy with what we decided," Ginny said.

"Even if that happens I'm not going to be upset with you," Harry said. "Please, let me talk this through with you and tell me what you think."

Not convinced but unwilling to say 'no,' Ginny nodded before asking, "What did Ron and Hermione say about all of this. I know they waited outside the Great Hall for you."

"I didn't breathe a word of this to them. I wanted this to be our decision and I knew that if I even mentioned it they would offer their views and I didn't want to hear their views this time, only yours," Harry explained.

"Fine," Ginny conceded, "I will listen and I will even offer my opinions but I'm not sure I'm comfortable being part of the decision making process."

"That's all I can ask for, I guess," Harry said, "I have two options next year. On one hand I can become the youngest Auror in the history of the Ministry. On the other hand I can return for one final year of school at Hogwarts. There are pros and cons to both options."

"Start with the pros then," Ginny suggested, "I'll make a list." Rising off the floor she conjured herself some parchment and a quill and settled herself at the lone desk in the tower.

"Let's see," Harry began, "Pros for being an Auror….I would be done with school, I would be moving on with my professional life, I would be earning money for something I have a personal drive to do anyway, I would love having a hand in tracking down the rest of the death eater scum out there, it would be exciting and challenging and new, it is a tremendous honor to be awarded the position…"

"How about pros for Hogwarts," Ginny asked when she could tell Harry was winding down.

"Hogwarts….well, finishing my education and filling in any gaps in my magical knowledge, having a peaceful, comfortable, safe, normal year before moving down the path toward becoming an Auror, Quidditch, being here with my friends, you, taking the time to figure out if being an Auror is really what I want…."

Now let's move to cons, starting with being an Auror," Ginny interrupted again when she could tell he was running out of ideas.

"I would be in London while you, Ron and Hermione would be here, what if the other Aurors resented the fact that I was given the job without NEWTs or training, it might be really hard without having finished school or training, I will probably be lonely, it will be dangerous, if I do this I'm not giving myself any time to just have a normal life even for a little while…" Harry trailed off.

"Okay, cons of Hogwarts," Ginny prompted.

"After the year I just lived it might be hard to just go back to school and classes, rules, curfews, exams, I wouldn't be out there helping catch death eaters…" Harry said.

"You have six in each category except for cons to return to Hogwarts you only have five," Ginny told him, "Why don't you just tell me your feeling about each option."

Harry stood and paced around the circular room before saying, "I have been on the path to where I am right now since the day Voldemort killed my parents. He heard part of the prophecy that Trelawny made and choose to believe that it meant me. I have to believe that if Voldemort had targeted Neville instead of me, my life would completely different. I wonder if I had gotten to lead that other life what my interests would be. Would they still include being an Auror and fighting for justice? I'm not so sure that they would. When Professor McGonagall told me what she thought I should do she mentioned the same thing. Maybe now that Voldemort is gone I need to find out if I would have chosen a different path, a path that wasn't simply forced upon me. I intended for Voldemort to kill me when I went into the forest. Maybe I shouldn't waste my second chance, but make sure I make the absolute most of it I can."

He stopped pacing and perched on the edge of the desk where Ginny still sat and said, "On the other hand, I have been following that path for a long time. It is so engrained in me that I'm not sure I can give up my draw toward that future, even if I wanted to. While I am so tempted to take the Auror option I keep thinking of what it would be like to have one last year here. What would it be like to be responsible for no more than going to class, learning and playing Quidditch? What would it be like to have a perfectly ordinary year where there is not some plot to end my life? It sounds very peaceful and wonderful but at the same time a little dull. If the decision rested solely with you Ginny, what would you have me do?"

"The trouble with you asking for my opinion is that my opinion is entirely selfish," Ginny confessed, "If it was up to me you would come back to Hogwarts for one more year. Not because you could stand to learn more but simply because I want you here with me. Last year was the hardest year of my life and not just because of the death eater influence here at the castle. I missed you so much and it was terrifying not knowing where you were or what you were doing."

"That is a compelling argument," Harry replied with a grin, "Even if it is not very constructive it is very flattering." Harry thought for a moment before saying, "if only there was a way I could do both."

"Maybe there is," Ginny said, "You should ask McGonagall and Kingsley to work something out. Maybe you could start Auror training while here, it could be like another of your classes. They could use you as a trainee on holidays and weekend or something."

"Ginny, you're brilliant," Harry said happily, "I will ask her tomorrow."

"So, does that mean you're returning next year?" Ginny asked.

"I think so. Even if the idea of starting Auror training here next year doesn't pan out I think I'm leaning toward coming back," Harry said.

"Are you sure you will be happy with that decision?" Ginny asked nervously.

"Yes, besides, it's just one year. Kingsley said I could take up my position whenever I was ready for it," Harry said.

"You'll be Quidditch captain for sure," Ginny told him.

"Co-captain," Harry corrected her.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"McGonagall told me that you and I both had a right to it since you were captain last year. I told her that you and I should co-captain the team and she seemed fine with the idea," Harry explained, "Why didn't you ever tell me you were captain last year?"

"Quidditch was a joke last year," Ginny said with a scowl, "between all the detention and torture sessions no one was fit to play or in the mood to watch. Besides, so many people were missing last year that it was no wonder all the teams were pretty lousy."

"How would you feel about co-captaining?" Harry asked.

"I think it would give us a good reason to go off together alone," Ginny said, "You know, planning different plays and tactics."

"I like the way your mind works," Harry said with a smirk, "But really, would you want to share it?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, "I think it would be a lot of fun to do it together. Any other bits of info you should share from your meeting with McGonagall?"

"She told me that she and the other professors would like to see me be head boy or a prefect at least. I told her I'd prefer to have neither but if it was unavoidable I would prefer prefect," Harry explained.

"Why would you prefer prefect?" Ginny asked.

"Less responsibilities," Harry said jokingly, "But seriously, I would prefer neither, but if I'm pushed to choose I'd take prefect because Ron and Hermione deserve to be head boy and girl together, don't you think?"

"Ah, I see, giving them a reason to go off alone together, what with all the rule making and organizational planning," Ginny said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"I'm glad to see you followed my reasoning," Harry said.

Having finally mastered the spell Dumbledore always used to conjure large comfortable armchairs with, Harry flicked his wand and a large squashy armchair with room for two appeared in the middle of the room. "Story time?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Ginny agreed. Together they climbed into the chair and positioned themselves so they could both comfortably look up toward the stars from their seat. "Who goes first, me or you?"

"I can go first," Harry offered. "So, when we disapparated from the wedding, Hermione took us to Tottenham Court Road, I guess it was the first place that came to mind. Ron and I were all panicked because we didn't know what had happened to any of you and we thought we'd left the Burrow without any of the things we'd planned to take with us but Hermione was one step ahead of us, as usual. She had magically expanded that tiny beaded handbag she had at the wedding and it was packed with everything we needed. We ducked into an alleyway and she pulled out a change of clothes for Ron and my invisibility cloak for myself. After Ron changed, we went to a café farther down the street. We started to talk about what happened and mentioned Voldemort's name; we didn't find out until later about the Taboo. A couple of death eaters came in, disguised as muggles, and after sitting down behind us, attacked Ron and Hermione. They weren't expecting to be attacked right back by me as I was still underneath my invisibility cloak. After we overtook them, we fixed the restaurant and Hermione Obliviated their memories as well as the memory of the waitress that was there as well. We then apparated to my house, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. It was terrifying to apparate there not knowing if the death eaters had managed to infiltrate it after Dumbledore's death or not. Some jinxes had been set on the house against Snape, but other than getting past those, it was alright."

"Harry," Ginny interrupted, "You don't have to tell me every detail. The main plot points would be fine."

"Bored already?" Harry asked.

"No, but if you wanted to skip over the unimportant bits we'll get through it all faster," Ginny explained.

"Don't worry, it isn't really that long of a story, there was a lot of time where we were simply trying to figure out where to go next," Harry said.

"Okay, keep going," Ginny said.

As he twisted a tendril of her hair between his fingers he continued, "While at Sirius' house we figured out who R.A.B. was that left the note and the fake horcrux that Dumbledore and I got out of the cave. R.A.B. is Regulus A. Black, Sirius' brother. He became a death eater at sixteen and quickly regretted his decision. Before the death eaters tracked him down to kill him he and Kreacher went to the cave and took the locket horcrux. Remember the summer before my fifth year when we were all at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place cleaning and stuff? We found the locket in that cabinet in the drawing room and didn't even realize it. Luckily Kreacher stole back most of the things we tried to throw out that summer. Kreacher was able to tell us that Mundungus Fletcher had stolen it along with lots of other stuff after Sirius died. We sent Kreacher to fetch Mundungus. When we interrogated Mundungus he told us that Umbridge had taken it from him in return for not turning him in for selling in Diagon Alley without a permit. So, we were going to have to go to the Ministry to get the locket. We spent an entire month at Sirius' house taking turns running surveillance at the Ministry and planning how to get in and get the locket back."

"Is that when Kreacher changed his mind about you?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, I gave him the fake horcrux that he and Regulus had left in the cave and from then on he was great. He cooked and cleaned for us, he was really wonderful," Harry explained. "Do you want more or shall we wait until tomorrow night for me to tell you about our adventures in the Ministry?"

"No that is fine, I'll go now," Ginny said with a resigned sigh. Harry could tell that she was steeling herself to dredge up painful memories that she preferred not to remember. He was about to tell her that she didn't need to talk about it tonight when she started, "I knew that things would be different when I went back to school last year. I just didn't realize that the differences would be apparent so early on. I have never been afraid to go away to school, but I cried when I got onto the train last year. I had never felt so alone. I was the only Weasley going back to school for the first time since Bill started his first year. The only house that didn't seem to be missing students was Slytherin. I sat with Neville and Luna on the Hogwarts Express and we discussed everyone that wasn't coming back. We hoped that the feast would make things seem better but they didn't. The tables seemed so empty. The sorting hat's song was horribly dire and depressing. We just felt bad for the first years, what a horrible year to start at Hogwarts. It was hard to look up to the head table and see Snape sitting in Dumbledore's chair. Then the Carrows were announced as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies professors. The Slytherins caused a lot of havoc in the corridors…and everyone just looked the other way. Neville, Seamus and Ernie all got detention before they even made it back to their common rooms that first night. They didn't even do anything. I think Neville was caught saying your name so they gave him detention to question him about your whereabouts. Seamus badmouthed Snape and Ernie was trying to defend Seamus. If anyone had any doubts about how different the year was going to be they got over them after they saw those three after detention."

"Neveille got detention for saying my name?" Harry asked, appalled.

"Yeah and he was beaten with a whip for not telling them what he knew about where you were. I taught myself my first healing spell that first night," Ginny said.

"You were healing people?" Harry asked.

"Well if you went to Madame Pomfrey and they caught you they'd just make it worse for you the next time," Ginny explained, "Someone needed to step up and figure out how we were going to survive the year. I taught myself as many healing spells as I could and then taught them to at least a few people from both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. In the end I think that was part of why I was targeted for detention and torture. They knew that I was the person who was healing people as well as teaching others how to do it too and they didn't like that."

"How did anyone learn anything last year if you were all busy avoiding detention, getting tortured and healing fellow students?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure anyone really did," Ginny said, "I'm really nervous about going back to school in the fall. I know it is going to be different, but it is going to take a little time to get past all of that."

"It will be different in the fall and even if it isn't I'll be there to protect you," Harry said.

"You're really coming back then?" Ginny asked, "I'm not sure I'll really believe it until I see you on the Hogwarts Express sitting next to me."

"I will talk to McGonagall first thing in the morning about trying to arrange a way for me to pursue both options next year," Harry promised.

"I'm sure you'll convince them, after all you are the person who vanquished Voldemort, they owe you big," Ginny said, "Do you want to hear more about last year?"

"I do, but not right now," Harry said, "Right now I want to kiss you."

"I think that can be arranged," Ginny said as she shifted in the chair so she was sitting in Harry lap.

This time their kisses held a hint of that former sweetness and less of the fiery urgency. Sharing with one another their experiences of the year before would bring them closer together and create a better understanding between them. As Harry gently kissed Ginny he couldn't help but think again how happy he was that they were back together.

**Author's Note:** It's funny, the first half of the people who reviewed and told me which option Harry should take said he should go back to school which is what I had been leaning toward myself. Then the second half of people who reviewed all said that Harry needed to become an Auror because that was canon to the books. For me the big draw of fan fiction is that you don't have to be canon – you can go and explore a different path. Part of my decision to send Harry back to school is because it is what I would do if I were him. But, based on all the reviews I got saying that he shouldn't go back to school I thought I would try to make both options work…I hope my little twist pleases people.

Several people have also commented that some of the things different characters say sound out of character. This is the piece I struggle with the most when writing fan fiction. I hope that people choose to read the story anyway and see this flaw as the character changing or growing – maybe.

Anyway – thanks for the reviews. I hope to get more feedback – I love to hear how I am doing and any ideas people have to improve the story. Thanks!


	4. Getting on the Same Page

The next morning Harry woke early, so early that none of the guys he shared a dorm with were awake yet. He and Ginny had gotten to bed significantly earlier than they had the previous night. Additionally he had slept more soundly than he'd done in a long time. He supposed the heavy work on the grounds yesterday coupled with the lack of battle dreams was the difference. He was serious about going and talking to McGonagall as soon as possible about the possibility of doing both options. As he grabbed clothes and a towel to head to the shower Ron's opened his eyes and asked, "Where are you off to so early?"

"I need to talk to McGonagall," Harry whispered.

"I take it you made a decision then?" Ron asked.

"I think so, but I need to make a request before I'm completely certain," Harry explained.

"Are you going to tell me?" Ron asked when Harry had turned toward the bathroom.

"Not until I'm sure," Harry said, "Sorry," he added when he saw the look on Ron's face.

He turned his back on Ron and walked to the bathroom. As he showered he thought about how quickly his priorities had shifted from Ron and Hermione to Ginny. But it needed to be that way. Ginny needed his attention a lot more than Ron and Hermione did right now. She had been neglected by all of them last year and he was only beginning to understand how much that must have hurt her. If truth be told he intended to spend the rest of his life with Ginny. Ron and Hermione would always be his best friends but Ginny was more than that and he intended to start showing her now how much she meant to him. He needed to make this decision without the influence of Ron and Hermione to prove to Ginny that it was her opinion that mattered the most now, not theirs.

As he toweled off and pulled on clothes he made a mental note to talk to Ron later and explain how and why things were changing. Harry was sure that Ron would understand, after all he and Hermione seemed to be moving in a direction that indicated that the centers of their universes were shifting as well.

Harry walked quietly through the corridors enjoying their silence and emptiness at this time of the morning. When he approached the stone gargoyle that protected the headmistress' office he asked, "Is she up there?" The stone figured nodded and Harry asked, "Can I go up and talk to her?" Immediately the gargoyle slid aside and Harry stepped onto the spiral staircase. At the top of the stairs he knocked on the door and called, "Professor, it's Harry, can I speak with you?"

A moment later the door opened, she was still in her tartan dressing gown but she bustled him in anyway, "To what do I owe this very early visit? Made a decision already have you?" She asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"I have mostly decided but wanted to make a request," Harry said.

"Let's hear it then," McGonagall said in her no-nonsense manner.

"Ginny and I were discussing my options last night…" Harry began.

"I thought Miss Weasley might have a hand in your decision," McGonagall said, her eyes looking rather soft.

Blushing Harry said, "Um, yeah…well we wondered if there might be a way that I could pursue both options. I will come back for my seventh year but maybe I could have extra lessons just for Auror training or something. Maybe the Ministry could use me as a trainee Auror; you know help out with special projects on weekends or holidays. I want to come back to school but I'm having a hard time not being tempted with the offer to become an Auror."

"Hmmmm," Professor McGonagall said, "I wonder why Kingsley and I didn't think of that ourselves. Let me send him an owl and I will let you know as soon as I hear back from him. Personally I think that is a wonderful idea. I must admit to you that I was very doubtful that you'd want to return to school at all."

"Part of me doesn't," Harry admitted, "But there are too many reasons why I know that I should to ignore them."

"Any reason that gets you back here to finish school is a good enough reason for me," Professor McGonagall said warmly, "Now, if you don't mind I'm going to kick you out so I can dress for the day."

Harry's heart felt near too bursting with joy as he wandered back to the Gryffindor common room. What a gift it would be not to have to choose between the two options. He wondered if Ginny was up yet as he climbed through the portrait hole. The common room was empty; Harry decided to go see if Ron was up. Back in the dorm Ron was pulling on his socks and sneakers, the other guys were still sleeping.

"Want to take a walk outside?" Harry whispered.

Ron looked surprised and said, "Yeah, alright."

The two walked in companionable silence until they were outside the front doors.

In that awkward way guys have of talking about something somewhat delicate Harry said, "So, good weather hey?"

"Uh, yeah," Ron responded, "I suppose."

Wanting to smack himself in the head Harry scrambled about for what to say and finally blurted, "You'll always be my best friend, you know."

"Okay…." Ron said.

Harry sighed and said, "What I mean is that I don't want you to feel like I don't need you anymore. I know that you and Hermione, but especially you, are feeling left out since I'm not talking to you about my decision over school. It's not that I don't care what you think; it's that this time I need to consider what Ginny thinks most of all. Does that make any sense?"

"Did Ginny tell you that you had to do things that way?" Ron asked, confused.

"No," Harry said, "Ginny and I are together now, it is important that she knows that my bond with her is something special and more important than what I have with you and Hermione. Ginny has been left out of our little circle for years and it is time that changed. You and Hermione are together now, right?" Ron nodded and Harry explained, "So Hermione has become more important to you than me, like Ginny has become more important to me than you. It doesn't change the fact that we're best mates it just means that now there is someone more special, like someone we could see spending the rest of our lives with."

"You want to marry Ginny someday?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I think I do," Harry said softly.

"I think that would be amazing," Ron said, surprising Harry, who'd somewhat expected to get smacked on the back of the head.

"Me too," breathed Harry, "So you see why I'm including her but not you guys on this decision?"

"Yeah," Ron said, "I do. But once you've figured out your final decision you'll let us know, right?"

"Absolutely," Harry agreed swinging his arm about Ron's shoulders in a manly sort of half hug. He dropped his arm a moment later and they continued back into the castle to see if breakfast was ready yet.

Breakfast had started in the Great Hall, but very few people were sitting at the long tables eating. Harry and Ron sat across from one another at the Gryffindor table and began to eat in silence. Shortly after helping himself to seconds of sausages and toast Ginny settled herself into the seat next to him.

"You're up," Ginny said in surprise.

"I told you I was going to talk to McGonagall as soon as possible this morning," Harry explained.

"Was she even dressed yet?" Ginny asked with a smirk.

"No, she was still in her dressing gown, but she seemed perfectly pleased to speak with me," Harry said.

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "It must be awfully handy sometimes to be you. What did she say?"

Noticing Ron listening intently to their conversation Harry simply said, "She couldn't believe they hadn't thought of it themselves. She said she'd contact him and she'll let me know."

"Good," Ginny said as she drew close enough to peck him on the cheek.

Harry squeezed her knee under the table and they smiled at one another. As they ate the other Weasleys and Hermione slowly trickled in and settled themselves at the table. When Harry had finished eating and was only sitting at the table to keep company with the others Professor McGonagall approached and asked, "Harry, may I talk to you for a moment?"

Harry rose from the table and followed Professor McGonagall out into the Entrance Hall. Once they had reached an empty and secluded corner of the Hall she said, "Kingsley quite agreed that between the two of us we should have come to that conclusion on our own."

"So, I can do both then?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall confirmed, "There are details to work out but Kingsley and I have all summer to arrange it. We aren't sure if it will work better to arrange for you to have private Auror training here in the castle or if you should get permission to floo to the Ministry for lessons with the other trainees. We are also looking into getting you a time turner."

"Weren't all the time turners destroyed?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but that was two years ago, there should be a new batch of them ready before school begins in September," Professor McGonagall explained.

"What about me helping out as an Auror next year," Harry asked.

"Kingsley said that occasionally there are small Auror matters in Hogsmeade that you could assist with but outside of that there might not be much as you will be busy with school, training and Quidditch," Professor McGonagall said, "But he did say that maybe they'd put you on a case or two over the summer if you're free. That reminds me, I'm supposed to give you this."

From her pocket she pulled a small silver badge and handed it to him. On it were the words, 'Harry Potter, Auror.' Harry suspected that the badge had come with the letter from Kingsley but McGonagall was only giving it to him just now. He didn't blame her, had he seen the badge before he thought over the decision he very well might have decided to just jump right into work as an Auror and not give school a second thought.

"Shall I tell Kingsley that you'd be interested in a case or two this summer?" Professor McGonagall asked. Harry just nodded and she said, "I'll leave you, Miss Weasley looks anxious to speak with you."

Indeed Ginny was loitering by the entrance to the Great Hall. As McGonagall turned to depart, Ginny dashed across the hall toward him. "So?" She asked excitedly as her arms flew around his neck.

Harry lifted Ginny off her feet and twirled her around before saying, "They said yes!" A moment later he set her back on the floor and kissed her. Aware that they were still in the Entrance Hall they pulled away after only a moment and he said, "Let's go up to the common room and I'll tell you about it."

Settled on a couch together in the otherwise empty room Harry explained everything that McGonagall had just told him before taking the badge out of his pocket and showing it to her. Her mouth fell open as she took it from him and inspected it. With a proud smile Ginny drew closer and carefully pinned the badge to his shirt. And that was how Ron and Hermione found them.

"So, you're not coming back with the rest of us then?" Ron asked in shock.

"But he is," Ginny protested.

"Isn't that an Auror badge pinned to his shirt though?" Hermione asked, "Kingsley offered you an Auror position didn't he? That's why McGonagall saved you for last during those meetings. You had more than option for next year."

"Yes," Harry said, "I'm going to do both."

Ron and Hermione started at him in shock before asking in unison, "How?"

"I'm coming back to school and one of my classes is going to be Auror training. They aren't sure yet if I will do it in the castle or if I'll have to floo to the Ministry. They are also going to get me a time turner." Seeing Hermione about to disagree he continued, "Yes we smashed them all two years ago but a new batch of them will be ready before September. I am also going to work on a few Auror cases this summer and as I can during the school year."

"Merlin's beard," Hermione muttered, stunned into silence for once.

"Are you okay with this decision?" Ron asked Ginny.

"I'm a little nervous about him working on Auror cases, but it's what Harry wants. He needs to be happy," Ginny said, "I'm happy too. I just wanted him to come back for one more year."

With a smirk Ron asked, "So which on of you do I need to start sucking up to if I want to be the Keeper next year?"

"Why would Ginny be the captain?" Hermione asked.

"Ginny was captain last year," Ron said.

"Actually," Harry said with a grin for Ginny, "We're co-captaining the team next year."

"That's perfect," Hermione said with a snort, "When Ron is in a slump and needs some reprimanding Ginny can do it since Harry won't."

"Why do you assume I'll have a slump?" Ron asked, "Honestly, you never have any confidence in me."

The four bantered and teased one another as they made their way back to the Great Hall for some work assignments. Today was their last day at the castle, tomorrow morning they were heading home to the Burrow to prepare for Fred's funeral. Before they entered the Great Hall he removed the badge from his shirt and tucked it into his pocket, which was not missed by the other three. "I just don't want to make a big deal out of it right now," Harry explained.

Hermione and Ginny were sent to help repair the house banners which had sustained large tears during the battle. Magical means of repairing them had been tried but the results were poor and hand stitching was going to be the best option. Harry and Ron were sent down to Hagrid's cabin to feed Fang and repair what damage they could. Hagrid was not actually home. After the defeat of Voldemort, Kingsley acting as the temporary Minister of Magic, had send Hagrid and Grawp to follow the giants back to their home to ensure they didn't cause further damage. If the giants seemed at all accepting they might also try to reach a peaceful agreement with them.

As they stepped onto the lawn and made their way down to Hagrid's Ron asked, "Where did you and Ginny sneak off to last night? Mum was looking for you."

"Do I have to tell you?" Harry asked, "It's nice to have a secret spot where we can be alone together."

"I guess not," Ron said and then uncomfortably asked, "What are you doing when the two of you are hidden away?"

"Talking mostly," Harry said, "Some snogging, but mostly talking."

"Ugh," Ron said, "I didn't really want to know that, but had to ask" Harry chuckled and Ron continued, "I had no know that it wasn't a mistake for me to be sending Mum to look for you everywhere besides the astronomy tower."

"I thought you didn't know," Harry accused.

"I had my suspicions," Ron said smugly, "Besides Hermione had the same idea a couple nights ago when we got caught in our last spot. We could hear you talking and left."

"You could hear us talking?" Harry asked.

"We could hear your voices but couldn't make out any of what you were saying," Ron clarified.

"Where did you and Hermione get caught?" Harry asked, "And what were you doing?"

Ron flushed redder than Harry ever remembered seeing before admitting, "Slughorn caught us down in the Slytherin Common Room."

"Why would you go down there?" Harry asked.

"We knew it would be deserted," Ron said shrugging, "We didn't even need a password, the door had been left open."

"And what did Slughorn catch you doing?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"It would be ungentlemanly of me to elaborate, but we'll put it this way, Hermione said she's not sure how she'll do in potions next year since she'll never be able to look Slughorn in the face again," Ron said miserably.

Harry laughed uproariously for a minute before shuddering and saying, "Ugh, I did not need those images in my head."

After a minute of silence Ron changed the subject and said, "I think it is really cool that you are going to be an Auror."

"Are you disappointed that I'm doing it without you?" Harry asked, "I know you kind of expressed an interest in it for a while."

"Nah, I'm not cut out for that kind of work on a long term basis," Ron said, "It was one thing to be on the run with you and Hermione because you're my best friend and I was helping you, but to subject myself to that kind of lifestyle, sleeping in a tent, being cold and hungry, no thanks."

"I'm sure that's not what it's like all the time," Harry said.

"I know, but I think I am meant to do something else," Ron said, 'I'm just not sure what yet."

"Fair enough," Harry said as he unlocked Hagrid's cabin and let Fang out.

Meanwhile Hermione and Ginny along with most of the other women in the castle were settled at the house tables carefully sewing the banners. Together Hermione and Ginny were working on several long tears in the Hufflepuff banner.

"I'd much rather be outside with Harry and Ron," Ginny said with a huff.

"Me too," Hermione agreed, "I'm not very good at sewing. But at least it gives a chance to talk."

"I suppose," Ginny said not raising her eyes from her work, "What do you want to talk about."

"You and Harry," Hermione suggested.

A slight blush colored Ginny's cheeks and she replied, "What about me and Harry?"

"You're back together," Hermione prompted.

"Yep," Ginny said. She bowed her head low over her work to hide the smirk on her face. She wasn't sure why she was giving Hermione a hard time. She liked Hermione, she really did. But if she knew Hermione like she thought she did, this was bound to be a session in which Hermione wanted to dissect and decipher every single thing about their respective relationships. Ginny just wasn't in the mood. She had just gotten Harry back, she wasn't ready to pick everything apart for hidden meaning, and she just wanted to revel in her happiness.

Hermione tried another tactic, "Ginny, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Ginny replied.

"Have you and Harry….you know…" Hermione trailed off and blushed furiously.

Her head shot up so fast to look at Hermione that Ginny thought she might have cricked her neck a little, "What?" She said loudly.

"Shhhhhhh," Hermione admonished, "Have you…."

"Shagged?" Ginny supplied with an evil smirk.

"Not you too," Hermione squeaked, "Why must all you Weasleys refer to it as that. Can't you call it, making love or something more appealing?" Ginny snickered at Hermione's discomfort. "Well," Hermione hissed, "Have you?"

"I'm not sure how that would be any of your business," Ginny retorted, "But since I don't want you spreading false information to my brother, the answer is no." Hermione appeared to be thinking quite hard about her answer when Ginny added, "Why?"

"No reason," Hermione said nervously.

"Have you and Ron," Ginny asked with a somewhat disgusted expression.

"Not technically," Hermione said weakly.

"Ew," Ginny squealed, "Why are we talking about this, I don't want to know that about my brother."

Hermione blushed again and said, "I just thought maybe if you and Harry had I'd feel better."

"What do you mean, better?" Ginny asked.

"Less guilty," Hermione said, "I was brought up Catholic and in the Catholic Church intimate relations before marriage are forbidden."

"But doesn't everyone kind of ignore that rule?" Ginny asked.

"It seems like it yes, but I never thought I'd be that kind of girl," Hermione admitted, "What are your family's beliefs in that area? Ron seemed unsure."

"Well, we don't really go to church," Ginny said, "Mum gave me the birds and bees talk when I turned eleven, but by then I'd learned most of it from Fred and George. Mum did say that she encouraged waiting until marriage to _'make love'_ but I'm not sure how strict she was about it. Bill was definitely a honeymoon baby, if not a before the honeymoon baby."

"What do you think?" Hermione asked, "About intimate relations before marriage, I mean."

"I'm not severely against it exactly, but I do like the idea of waiting and having the first time be with my husband," Ginny said wistfully.

"That's what I always thought too," Hermione said sadly, "Now I'm not sure. After the battle I think Ron and I did the things we did to escape and completely free our minds of everything that kept replaying in our minds."

"I can understand that," Ginny said, "It was like that around here last year, fooling around was one of the few things people could come up with do as an escape."

"Really?" Hermione asked, "Did you?"

"I was too busy worrying and healing people to fool around. Besides, I was still in love with Harry. I didn't want to experience that kind of stuff with anyone but him," Ginny said.

"But you've had boyfriends before Harry," Hermione pointed out.

"True, but I haven't done anything but snogging, even with Harry," Ginny reveled.

"You and Harry have only ever kissed?" Hermione asked, "Ron imagines that you two have done a lot more."

"It would be easy to go further, but you only get one first time at something and I'm not in a hurry. I'm still getting used to kissing him again, it isn't the same as it used to be back when we were together before. It is fiercer somehow and I know for me it is such a powerful emotional release. Sometimes it is hard to slow down and stop," Ginny explained.

"But you do," Hermione said, "I have to figure out how to have that kind of control."

"I'm having a hard time believing that you of all people can't find that kind of control within yourself," Ginny said,

"Shhhhhh," Hermione warned as Mrs. Weasley approached their table to see how they were doing.

Ginny reminded herself that perhaps she and Harry should have a conversation soon about fooling around and _'making love.'_

After they had done all they could for Hagrid's cabin Harry went in search of Professor McGonagall again. He realized he'd forgotten to ask her about Snape. He approached the gargoyle who shook its head indicating that she wasn't up in her office. Harry went to the Great Hall where he saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout at the head table sewing up tears in a large banner sporting the Hogwart's crest.

"Yes, Potter," she said as he approached the table.

"I was wondering if I might talk to you about arrangements for Snape's funeral," Harry asked.

"Why would you even care, that man was a traitor," McGonagall snapped.

"He wasn't though. Did you ask Professor Dumbledore about what I told you?" Harry asked.

"Of course and he confirmed it all," She said, "I'm just not sure I understand how you of all people could forgive him so easily."

"If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here," Harry said. "We may not have liked each other but the fact remains that I owe him my life. The least I can do is make sure that he is taken care of in his death."

"Very noble," Professor Sprout commended.

"Very well," Professor McGonagall said, "I will meet with you about the matter in my office after lunch."

Harry wandered over to the table at which Hermione and Ginny were working on the Hufflepuff banner. Settling on the bench next to Ginny, Harry asked, "I noticed you both clammed up when I came over, what were you talking about?" To his surprise both girls blushed bright red and muttered, 'nothing.'

After lunch Harry made his way up to Professor McGonagall's office. The door had been left open for him. He entered and approached the empty desk wondering where she was. Dumbledore's portrait informed him, "She is back there speaking with Snape about his wishes."

Harry peered into a far removed corner of the office where indeed Professor McGonagall stood conversing with a tiny picture frame. "Why is Snape's portrait so small and why is it all the way back in the corner?"

Phineas Nigellus took this opportunity to speak up saying, "Headmaster and Headmistress portraits are larger or small depending on the amount of importance they had. Additionally where they are placed in the office signifies their popularity."

"Ahhhh," Harry said understanding immediately. Harry wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to speak with Snape or whether or not Snape would want to talk to him therefore he remained seated at the desk.

"Harry," Professor McGonagall said as she approached the desk, "Professor Snape has no living relatives to take care of his funeral. I assume you were asking about it because you were interested in taking on the responsibility for it?"

"Yes," Harry said, "What did Professor Snape have to say?"

"He didn't understand why you would want to do this and frankly, I'm baffled myself," Professor McGonagall said.

"Can I speak to him?" Harry asked.

"I can't guarantee he will talk back," McGonagall said.

Harry walked to where Snape's tiny portrait hung on the wall. Snape scowled at Harry and turned his back to him.

"You don't have to talk to me, just listen," Harry demanded. "I know that when you look at me you see my father and you hated my father. But you need to remember that I am my mother's son too. I have her eyes, remember? I understand that you dislike me because I am his son, but at the same time you protected me all those years because I am her son too. It is because of your love for her that I am alive. Thank you. Please let me repay you by giving you a funeral, it is the least I can do and I think it is what my mother would have wanted. I was thinking that I could get you a plot in Godric's Hollow; it is where she is buried. Perhaps not very close to her, but at least in the same graveyard."

Snape whirled back toward Harry in his frame and said, "I would appreciate that. Thank you." Then he walked out of his frame signaling that the conversation was over.

"Any idea who I talk to about planning a funeral?" Harry asked Professor McGonagall.

"I will get you some information," She said.

"Any more projects left that I can work on this afternoon?" Harry asked before he left the office.

"Actually, based on my list the jobs that are left need to be left to professionals. You should just enjoy the afternoon. I understand you, Miss Granger and the Weasleys are going back to the Burrow tomorrow," Professor McGonagall said.

"Yes, I think we are heading back right after breakfast," Harry said.

"You may go Potter," She replied.

Harry sprinted down to the Great Hall to find Ginny. She had gone back to sewing the tear in the Hufflepuff banner with Hermione. "You girls almost done with that?" Harry asked as he sat down next to Ginny.

"Just about," Hermione said.

"McGonagall said there are no more projects so we are free to enjoy the afternoon, so hurry up," Harry said.

Within minutes Ginny finished the last few stitches. After cutting the loose threads Hermione levitated the banner back up to the roof where it hung from over the Hufflepuff table.

"Nice work," Mrs. Weasley said as she watched Hermione rehung the banner, "You almost can't tell that it was torn in the first place."

They remained in the Great Hall long enough to watch all the rest of the house banners as well as the Hogwart's crest be rehung. It was nice to see the castle coming back together. It would make it easier coming back in September knowing that things had already come so far.

Harry led Ginny down to the lake where they settled under their favorite tree. "Can we talk about something?" Ginny asked.

"Sure," Harry said.

"Earlier when you asked Hermione and I what we were talking about and we didn't answer, she had just gotten done admitting that she and Ron have become fairly intimate," Ginny said.

"Have they…." Harry began.

"No, but nearly," Ginny said, "Hermione was telling me that she was not brought up that way and she wasn't sure how she had let it happen. She asked me what beliefs and values my bothers and I were brought up under regarding being intimate before marriage. It just got me thinking that you and I have never discussed this and maybe we should so we both know where the other stands."

"That sounds reasonable," Harry replied.

"Also, I'm sure when school starts you'll hear about how everyone was busy fooling around here last year. It was the only thing people could think of to escape. Just know that I was not one of those people," Ginny blushed and added, "I was waiting to do those sorts of things for the first time with you."

Harry lowered his face to Ginny's and kissed her with all the passion that flooded through him at her admission.

"What was that for?" Ginny asked.

Clearing his throat he said, "I just lost control for a minute there. Hearing you say that you were waiting to do those things with me is an incredible turn on. Sorry."

"That's fine," Ginny said with a smirk, "I just wanted you to know that when you hear reference to that next year you don't have to worry. The most I've done with anyone is kiss them."

"Thanks," Harry said, "For the warning."

"No problem," Ginny said, "Now, what are you thoughts about intimacy before marriage."

"I'm not really sure," Harry said, "I'm not sure what my parents thoughts were and if I'm being perfectly honest, while I've had dreams and thoughts about intimacies I guess I've never taken the time to think about what I was comfortable with. I do know that we won't ever do anything you're not comfortable with."

"Thanks Harry," Ginny said, "Well I'm okay doing some things before getting married, but I don't want to …er…you know, make love, until my wedding night."

"Let's say that from now on when we are, fooling around, either of us can say stop at any time," Harry said.

"Okay," Ginny said, "Thanks. I just didn't want to get to a point like Hermione where I wasn't sure I was comfortable but didn't think I could turn back….I would hate to feel like that."

"Permission to stop being serious now?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Ginny said.

"Did you ever think that Ron and Hermione would cover so much ground in so little time?" Harry asked.

"Not really," Ginny said, "But considering how long those two repressed their feelings, maybe it isn't so surprising."

"And I'm not trying to make fun, but _'make love?'_ I've only ever heard people's Grandmothers call it that," Harry said with a snort.

"Well, I called it shagging in front of Hermione earlier and she practically took offense," Ginny said, "Maybe I was trying to protect your delicate ears."

Harry felt his chest tighten a little just hearing a word like that escape her lips, "Gin, are you trying to kill me?"

"I knew you were too innocent to hear such a thing," Ginny said, shaking her head at him.

"Just for that I think I'll show you just how _innocent_ I am," Harry growled. He pulled Ginny toward him and crushed his lips against hers. He lowered their bodies together to the grass so she was lying on top of him. He moved his mouth to her neck and she gasped in surprise. Her hands found their way under his shirt and at that moment she had a true understanding of how not innocent he was.

In response she rubbed against him and said, "Why Mr. Potter, I thought we were saving that sort of thing for later."

"What can I say, Gin," Harry said huskily, "You're irresistible."

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the awesome reviews and suggestions. I also wanted to mention that while I have posted 4 chapters in as many days don't expect this pattern to continue. When I start working on a new story, especially after having this one in my head for so long, it tends to pour out at the beginning. My work is very slow right now so I have time to write at my desk, but I'm sure things will pick up eventually and my writing will have to slow down a bit. Thanks again!


	5. Back at the Burrow

The next morning in the castle, the mood was somber. It was hard to believe that they were finally going to leave the comfort and protection they had come to find in the castle since the battle ended. It was time though, the castle had been repaired as fully as it could be by their hands and it was time to move forward. After breakfast the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione gathered their things and made rounds to say good-bye to those others still left in the castle. People had been starting to head home over the last few days and the castle seemed rather empty.

George had been scarce since the battle. He, like Harry, had taken to isolating himself. Harry only remembered catching glimpses of George a handful of times since the end of the battle. At first he had refused to leave Fred's body, just sitting next to it on the floor of the room where they had placed the dead. When the bodies had finally been sent away to be stored until the funerals George had found a new place to hide, but no one knew where that was.

On this, the morning of their departure back into the real world, George was impeding things. "He says he doesn't want to leave the castle," Mrs. Weasley said, tears flowing down her cheeks, "Says that he would like to remain here where Fred died."

"Let me try to talk to him," Mr. Weasley responded.

Mr. Weasley had returned with barely more beneficial results. "The only thing he said was that he'd like to speak to Harry," Arthur relayed, "Harry, would you mind? He is up on the seventh floor in the first room on the right after the painting of the trolls in tutus."

Harry assured them that he would speak to George but as he made his way up to the seventh floor a cold terror filled his gut. "Here it is," he thought to himself, "Finally, someone who wants to lay the blame at my feet. Not that I didn't expect this." Harry approached the room and as he stood in the doorway he could understand why George would choose this room to isolate himself in. Harry himself had done the same years before.

George sat before a large mirror. Harry knew this to be the Mirror of Erised. It showed one the thing that they most desired in the world. When Harry had first discovered it during the Christmas holiday his first year he had sat in front of it for three days, mesmerized by what it had shown him, his family. Harry imagined that George was seeing himself and Fred living to grow very old together. Steeling his nerve Harry announced his presence.

George barely turned from the mirror but said, "Harry, it's you."

"Hey George," Harry said as he sat down beside George on the floor, "I see you found the Mirror of Erised. Back when I discovered it Dumbledore me that it wouldn't do to sit indefinitely in front of it and waste away, as it wouldn't bring my family back to me."

"That Dumbledore was a very smart wizard," George agreed.

"Why did you ask to speak to me?" Harry asked, already sure of what the answer would be.

George surprised him by saying, "You have lost people in your life. I wanted to know how you get up and keep going. Even though, there is a large part of me that would like to lie down and die too, just so I can be with Fred again."

"Do you really think that is what Fred would want you to do?" Harry asked.

"Of course not," George said, "Fred would have wanted the same as me if our positions were reversed. We'd just want the other to live, be happy and create enough trouble for the both of us."

"But that is hard to do," Harry stated, "When Sirius and then Dumbledore died, people kept telling me that they both would have wanted me to pick myself up and keep moving forward, but it is hard not to just wallow."

"So how did you do that?" George asked.

"Voldemort," Harry said grimly, "I knew that it was up to me to finish him off, so I couldn't just curl up and be sad. I had to keep going."

"Does it get easier?" George asked.

"It does get easier but the hurt never fully goes away," Harry said, "There are always what ifs. I didn't really know my parents but I still feel their absence and it stings."

"What do you mean, 'what ifs?'" George asked.

"What if Voldemort had gone after Neville instead….then my parents would be here to bring me to King's Cross for the train and I'd live in Godric's Hollow during the summer instead of on Privet Drive…." Harry said, "Stuff like that."

"Oh," George said, "Yeah, I've got loads of those. Like, what if Fred had lived, then we could have married a set of gorgeous and hilariously funny twins."

Harry laughed out loud before saying, "Was that really one of your ambitions?"

"Not a serious one, but yeah, it would have been fun," George said with a tiny smile.

Harry's smile vanished when he heard George break into sobs beside him. Unsure of what to say Harry simply put his arm around George and let him cry. When George's crying slowed he said, "I'm afraid that I don't know how to be just George. For as long as I can remember it was 'Fred and George.' When I hear my name on its own it just sounds like something is missing. He was more than my best friend, he was like my other half. I had a built in best friend from the day we were born, how do you just move forward without that after nineteen years?"

"I don't know George," Harry said, "I suppose you take it a day at a time and you remember that while you might be missing the person who meant the most, there are lots of us who are still here for you. Please let us help you."

"I will. Thanks Harry," George said, "Let's go home." Standing, he took one last look into the mirror and the ghost of a smile graced his tear streaked face.

The homecoming was as hard as Harry suspected it might be. Everyone apparated into the back garden, except Harry and Ginny, who didn't have licenses to apparate yet. Ron and Hermione brought them by side-along apparition. Harry could see nearly everyone was blinking back tears. If they were feeling what he was it was a mixture of happiness to see the Burrow still standing and sadness at not bringing home everyone who belonged to it. While in the castle everyone banded together and helped each other through the pain and sadness. Here it was the opposite. Everyone went to where they felt the most at home in the house and buried themselves in something to take their minds elsewhere.

Arthur went to his shed to tinker with his muggle collection. Molly went into the kitchen and began cooking copious amounts of food that undoubtedly no one would be hungry for. Bill and Fleur shut themselves into Bill's old room and no one wanted to think about what they might be occupying their time with. Charlie remained outside channeling his anger and sadness by chucking gnomes over the garden fence. Percy seemed at odds, not having been home to the Burrow in years but finally going up to his room where a quill could be heard scratching endlessly across parchment. Ron went up to his attic bedroom. Hermione brought her things into Ginny's room before following Ron upstairs. Ginny took a broom from the shed and took off into the skies. Harry and George were the only ones left standing in the middle of the garden watching Charlie chucking gnomes.

"I don't know where to go," George confessed, "I'm afraid to go into our room, the memories."

Harry nodded and said, "I understand."

"I think I'll go down to the river," George finally said.

"Do you want company?" Harry asked.

"Not just now," George said, "But thanks."

Harry let himself into the house and asked Molly if he might use one of the owls to deliver a message to Kingsley.

"You don't need to ask Harry, this is your home too," Molly replied.

Kingsley,

The Weasleys, Hermione and I returned to the Burrow this morning. If you need me I can be contacted there.

I am hoping you can help me get an apparition license. I did the classes for it during my sixth year of school but had to go on the run before getting to take my test. I have some matters to attend to this summer and having my license would be of some help.

Do you know if my Aunt and Uncle's house is still standing on Privet Drive? I left some things there I could use when I return to Hogwarts in the fall. I will go and retrieve them if you think they are still there.

Thanks,

Harry

After sending his letter off with Pig Harry brought his belongings up to the attic and left them on the landing outside Ron's room. Back outside Harry helped himself to a broom out of the shed and took off into the sky. He first flew over the river looking for George by its banks. Seeing that George was quietly watching the water's path from a large rock on the bank, he flew on. He flew in ever widening circles around the house, looking for Ginny. After nearly an hour of searching for her Harry decided that maybe she wasn't ready to be found and returned to the Burrow.

When Harry entered the house Molly had lunch laid out on the table.

"Oh Harry," Molly said, "Where have you been?"

"Just flying a bit," Harry said.

"Were you with Ginny?" Molly asked.

"No, I was looking for her, but never found her," Harry said, "George is down by the river,"

"I'm sure she'll be back soon," Molly said, "Flying was always one of her best activities to get rid of stress."

After lunch Harry went into the sitting room with the list of information Professor McGonagall had given him to help him with planning Snape's funeral. He wasn't planning a large occasion, in fact Harry very much doubted that very many people would be at all interested in attending. Harry set to work writing letters to arrange everything for the funeral. When everything was arranged he would hold the funeral without delay and without any notice, he intended to be the sole witness.

Molly came into the sitting room as Harry finished the last of the letters and set it upon the stack. "What are you up to?" She asked.

"I took on the responsibility of Snape's funeral," Harry explained, "These letters are for some of the arrangements."

"Professor McGonagall mentioned that," Molly said, "It is very good of you to do."

"I owe him my life, it seemed like a small thing to give him in return," Harry explained, "When is Fred's funeral going to be?"

"Day after tomorrow," Molly said, "We are going to hold the funeral here and bury Fred in the back corner of the garden."

"Do you and Arthur need help with any of it?" Harry asked. He knew that they would never accept money from him but he needed to ask anyway.

"No Harry dear, but thank you," Molly said with a sniffle, "I need to go check on my pies."

Harry sent off the letters before going up the attic. He knocked on the attic door then gave Ron and Hermione a full two minutes before entering. They still looked fairly disheveled but at least both were fully dressed.

"Sorry," Harry said at their inquiring looks, "But I need to wash some clothes. Hermione, do you have my clothes from your beaded bag?"

"I'll go fetch them," Hermione said.

Harry dumped his knapsack onto the cot he slept on while at the Burrow and pulled out all the clothing. He met Hermione on his way back down to the kitchen and she handed him a large quantity of filthy clothing. He took his clothing down to the laundry room off the kitchen and sorted it into several piles. As he loaded the first pile into the washer he realized what bad shape most were in. And none of what he had would be suitable to wear to a funeral. His dress robes were back in his trunk at Privet Drive and they might be too small now anyway, he'd had the same set since fourth year. He was going to have to go to Diagon Alley and maybe even a few muggle shops to get some proper clothing soon. He would ask Ginny if she would accompany him tomorrow.

"Harry," Molly said, startled, as the poked her head into the laundry room, "What are you doing in here?"

"My laundry," Harry said, "I'm sorry I didn't even ask."

"You don't need to ask, but you could have asked me to wash these for you," She reprimanded.

"Thanks," Harry said, "But it was no trouble. Do you know if Ginny is back yet?"

"Yes, she went into her room about a half an hour ago," Molly said.

"Thanks," Harry said again.

Harry knocked lightly on Ginny's door and called, "Gin, you in there?"

"Come in," He heard her call.

She was sitting cross-legged against her headboard knitting something. He approached the bed and carefully sat down at the end. He watched her interestedly as the needles in her fingers moved deftly while she muttered to herself, "knit, purl, knit, purl…" When she finally reached what appeared to be the end of the row she looked up at him and said, "Hi."

"Hi," Harry responded, "What are you doing?"

"Knitting a sock," Ginny said, "I needed something to do that would keep my mind busy," she explained, "Usually flying relaxes me but I don't need to think while I do it and today I need to keep my mind quiet or I'm bound to explode."

Harry picked up the item she had been knitting and looked at it, "Why a sock?"

"Well, Mum taught me how to knit when I was five. I can knit sweaters, scarves, hats and such in my sleep. Socks are a bit more difficult and so I need to concentrate more and the more I concentrate the less I am able to think about Fred," Ginny said as her eyes filled.

Harry gathered her into his arms and let her cry on his shoulder.

"It is so much worse being home," Ginny cried, "At the castle it was easier to pretend that he was alive. Here I have too many memories of him and I keep expecting him to appear around a corner."

After a few minutes Ginny untangled herself from Harry's embrace and picked up the sock. She began knitting again and Harry just watched her.

"I figure I can give everyone socks for Christmas if I keep up at this rate," Ginny said, "This pair in particular is for Percy I think, this design I'm starting on the side is going to look like a quill."

"Can I ask a favor?" Harry said, "It might help take your mind off things too." Ginny nodded and he said, "Most of my clothing is destroyed from being on the run during the last year and my dress robes are at Privet Drive. I was hoping maybe you'd come with me to London tomorrow to help me buy some new clothes."

"Of course," Ginny said with a smile, "It is every girl's dream to dress her boyfriend." Comically Ginny's face contorted as she realized what she'd said and she quickly backtracked, "I didn't mean that. We haven't discussed if we are boyfriend and girlfriend yet…I didn't mean to imply…"

"Gin," Harry said, "It's fine, I love that you called me your boyfriend."

"Really?" She asked.

"Really," Harry confirmed, "I actually think of us as something more than that. I'm sure I shouldn't be telling you this but someday I want to marry you. Maybe it was my experiences and being apart from you for the last year, but I need you to understand my intentions. This doesn't mean we're engaged or anything, maybe more of a promise or an understanding. And if when that time comes you don't want me you can say no. I will only ever want for you to be happy."

When Harry lifted his eyes from the spot on her bedspread that he'd been addressing during his little speech he was shocked to see tears trickling down Ginny's face. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry, I should have kept all that to myself."

"Harry, no," Ginny said, "You don't understand. These are happy tears. I've been telling my brothers since I was about six that I would marry Harry Potter one day. Back then it was just a crush, but the longer I've known you as a friend and as more than a friend the more I've come to realize it was true. I love you, Harry."

"So, you want to marry me someday too?" Harry asked, stunned.

"Yes," Ginny breathed, "Mum reckons that anytime before and after a war people are declaring themselves left, right and center, but I like to think that it is more than that, like fate or destiny."

"I agree," Harry said, "We shall keep this our secret though, for now?"

"Of course," Ginny said, "Mum would hate that her only daughter and youngest child who isn't even legal yet is talking about plans to someday marry."

"Do you think she'll be pleased that you've chosen me someday when the time comes?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Ginny said, "She already thinks of you as a son, marrying me would only make it official. My family loves you."

"A secret for now then," Harry repeated.

"Yes, a delicious secret," Ginny said with a grin as she leaned toward him for a kiss.

After several long minutes of lip lock with Ginny they heard someone on the landing and broke apart. The door opened and Molly stuck her head in, "What are you two up to?"

"I need to get some new clothes, at very least something to wear to Fred's funeral," Harry explained, "I was asking Ginny if she'd help me get some shopping done tomorrow."

"Oh, lovely," Molly said, "We should cut your hair too."

"Sure," Harry said feebly, remembering the job Molly had done on Bill's hair before the wedding.

"Or Ginny can cut it for you, she has a talent for it," Molly said.

"I'll cut it tonight after dinner," Ginny offered, "In the garden."

"Have either of you seen George?" Molly asked, "That was what I came up for."

"Did he ever come back for lunch?" Harry asked.

"No," Molly said.

"He went to the river earlier, maybe he is still there," Harry said, "If you have any sandwiches left I could bring some to him."

"I'll put some into a basket," Molly said as she hurried down to the kitchen.

"Do you want to come?" Harry asked Ginny.

"No," Ginny said, "I'm going to go back to my knitting for now."

Harry understood that it wasn't that she didn't want to help but that right now she couldn't. She was having a hard enough time mastering her own emotions, she could send George into a further depression. Harry kissed her on the cheek and left the room. He gathered a picnic basket from Molly in the kitchen and headed out into the garden.

When he reached the river George was still in exactly the same place he'd been when Harry flew over him earlier. Dropping onto the rock beside George he said, "Your mother sent some lunch."

George took the basket but didn't open it, "I can't go into the house," he said.

"Too many memories," Harry said.

"Yes," George confirmed. It was as if George had no recollection of having nearly an identical conversation earlier with Harry.

"It was the same with Sirius's house after he died. Even though he hated the place it was his home and everything there has memories of him," Harry said, playing along, he was sure the last thing George was worried about was repeating himself.

"I'm not sure where I'm going to sleep tonight. I can't imagine going into our room," George said.

"I'm sure someone would swap rooms with you," Harry started to offer.

George blurted, "I don't want anyone else sleeping in there either."

"Perhaps Hermione and I could go and box some things up so it would be easier to sleep in there?" Harry suggested.

"That would be good," George said.

"Leave it to me then," Harry said, "And eat some of that food, even if you don't feel like you can eat, your body needs it."

Harry returned to the house and went up to the attic to ask Hermione to help him. In a choked voice Ron offered to help too but the look in his eyes told Harry that he could imagine nothing worse at that moment. Harry and Hermione spent an hour packing what seemed to be most of the room's contents into boxes. When they felt sure they had gotten everything that would be hard for George to look at Hermione levitated all the boxes into one corner of the room and set a curtain around them to block them from view.

Dinner that night was a quiet affair. The kitchen was crowded with all the Weasleys home plus Harry and Hermione, but conversation was sparse. When the dishes had been done, despite the early hour everyone headed off to bed. Everyone wanted a reason not to talk on this difficult night. Tomorrow would be better, getting past the first day back home would feel like a small victory. Through out the house everyone lie in their beds but no one slept. Molly and Arthur lay still in the dark thinking about how parents weren't supposed to live to bury their children. Bill and Fleur lay in their bed discussing how soon after the funeral they might return to Shell Cottage and their life there. Charlie lay in his bed trying to read a book about dragons but finding that he had reread the same page four times and still retained none of it. Percy lay in his bed on his stomach still writing and writing, ink staining his long fingers. George lie awake in his room knowing that Fred was gone but not being able to believe it in their own room which still held the ghost of their laughter. Ron and Harry lay awake up in the attic listening to the ghoul clank around next door and Harry remembering that he hadn't gotten his haircut as he pushed unruly locks away from his eyes. Ginny and Hermione lie in their beds, Ginny propped against some pillows so she could knit her sock and Hermione pouring over 'Hogwarts: A History,' even though she practically knew it by heart. It would get easier a day at a time, this first night would be the hardest.

Author's Note: Hi All! I still like to hear how I'm doing. What do you think of the direction I'm taking…any suggestions? I get the most inspiration from hearing what readers think…so let me know! I'm not sure if the funeral will be the next chapter or the one after. I know my pacing of this story is quite slow at the moment but it will pick up…I don't want to gloss over any of this hard first part – I think it will set the tone for the rest of the story. Thanks!

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	6. A Day Out

The next morning Ginny woke Harry with a kiss. "To what do I owe this surprise?" He whispered groggily as he shifted over on the bed so she could lie next to him.

Ginny snuggled under the covers with Harry and said, "We didn't get around to that haircut last night. I thought we'd do it right away this morning."

"Okay," Harry said as he started to sit up.

Ginny pushed him back down and said, "Not just yet, let me just lay here with you for a few minutes. There are very few moments alone in this house."

"We're not actually alone," Harry said with a pointed glance across the room at a snoring Ron.

"As good as," Ginny replied as she wrapped her arms around Harry's neck.

"How much of your sock did you get done last night?" Harry asked.

"You have me in your bed and you want to talk about my knitting?" Ginny asked playfully.

"Well, no," Harry admitted, "But I was trying to be a gentleman in case your brother over there wakes up."

"Well, knock it off," Ginny chastised him, "And kiss me."

Harry shifted again so that he could pull Ginny on top of him. She braced her arms on either side of his head and lowered her lips to his. With his free hands he traced the curves of her hips and felt the soft skin that was exposed between the shirt and waistband of her pajamas. He felt himself react to her and he knew that she could feel it too. Her mouth moved to his neck and he had to stifle a moan.

"Okay Gin," He whispered huskily into her ear, "We're moving into dangerous territory here." Her mouth did not move from his neck and he squirmed against her, "Ginevra, I'm warning you."

"Fine," Ginny said with a giggle, "Go take a cold shower, wash your hair and I'll meet you in the garden."

"Why the garden?" Harry asked.

"No mess to sweep up if I cut it in the garden," Ginny said as she hopped off his bed.

He climbed out of bed and noticed that Molly must have finished washing and folding all his laundry because several neat stacks of clothes were lined up at the foot of his bed. From them he pulled the jeans, tee-shirt and boxers that looked the least defeated. In the bathroom he studied his reflection before stepping to the shower. His hair was much too long, but the cuts and bruises were healing nicely. He noticed a new bruise on his neck and wondered where it came from. After several long moments he realized that it wasn't a bruise, Ginny had just done that.

Fifteen minutes later when Harry met Ginny in the garden she was wearing jeans and a pink tank top, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She'd brought a stool out into the yard and motioned for him to sit. "Take off your shirt," she ordered. When he didn't immediately comply she asked, "Do you want it to get full of hair?" Harry removed his shirt and tossed it to one side. He saw Ginny smirk as she studied the mark she'd left on his neck. She draped a towel around his shoulders and put another across his lap. She combed his hair a bit contemplating it before asking, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes, you cut it however you want. If it is horrible I guarantee it will have grown back by tomorrow," Harry said, "Once Aunt Petunia shaved all my hair except for this bit in the front to cover my scar and it grew back within twenty-four hours."

"I'll bet she was pleased," Ginny snorted.

"I was stuck in my cupboard for a week," Harry said.

"Your Aunt and Uncle better hope they never come face to face with me, they sound like horrible people," Ginny said, "Take off your glasses," she added. Harry took off his glasses and sat up straighter as her hands wove their way into his unruly hair. With her hands she manipulated his hair in different directions before she began cutting. She darted around him as she worked, her chest pressing against his shoulder or back, her hand lingering on his chest to steady him as she cut. Her touches were all innocent and yet he felt his body responding to her as if this were a very intimate moment indeed. He couldn't believe how powerful a simple touch from her could be. He was almost sorry when she finished and began brushing hair off him. She pulled the towel from around his shoulders and shook it onto the lawn. When her hand closed around the towel draped across his lap he flushed and grumbled, "I'll hold onto this for a moment." Understanding filled her eyes and she flushed as well.

"Ginevra, you have no idea what you do to me sometimes," Harry said taking her hand.

"It's not fair that Harry is not short for something else," Ginny said, "I need something to call you besides Harry when I am stretched to my emotional limit, like you do with me."

Harry was stunned that she had so quickly picked up on when he used her full given name, he wasn't sure he'd even figured it out yet, "We'll make something up. Harry is short for what?"

"Harold?" Ginny suggested, "Harrison….Henry?"

"Maybe you could just add my middle name to Harry," Harry offered, "I'm not sure how I'd like to be called by someone else's name."

"That would work," Ginny said, "Harry James. Can I take that towel yet?"

"Yes, you distracted me just enough, thank you," Harry said.

"That was my goal," Ginny replied, "Run up to the bathroom and see what you think."

He bent to retrieve his shirt from the grass as he walked toward the house. He pulled it on before opening the back door. He walked through the kitchen where Molly and Arthur were drinking tea. "Morning," he said as he briskly walked through and headed toward the stairs. In the mirror was he was surprised to see how much shorter Ginny had cut it than he normally wore it. It suited him though and his head felt somehow lighter. He wandered back down to the kitchen and gave Ginny a peck on the cheek, "Thank you, it looks wonderful."

Harry and Ginny ate breakfast quickly and left before most of the others had come down for breakfast. It wasn't specifically that they were avoiding people; it was more that they didn't want to give anyone the chance to invite themselves along. It would be fun to do this shopping on their own and maybe it would feel a bit like an actual date.

They flooed into Diagon Alley and headed for Gringotts first. Harry was nervous about what might happen when he entered the bank given that he, Ron and Hermione had robbed it a few short weeks ago. Security was no longer as high as it had been the day they'd been here, it was back to the way Harry remembered from his first visit with Hagrid seven years before. He and Ginny waited in a short line before speaking to a goblin at the window. "We need to visit my vault," Harry told him, "As well as change some of my gold to muggle money. Here is my key."

"Very well," the goblin replied, "Tebodn will take you down."

"I've never gone down to anyone's vault," Ginny confessed, "Mum and Dad were always very private about that, probably because they didn't want any of us kids to see how empty their vault really was. Fred and George told me that it is like those roller coasters that muggles have at amusement parks, but I'm sure they were just pulling my leg." Harry grinned as Ginny's eyes widened in shock as Tebodn lead them toward a wooden cart atop what did resemble a roller coaster track. "They weren't kidding," Ginny breathed.

They climbed into the cart and Ginny gripped his hand with near bone crushing strength. As the cart gained speed down the first hill he was glad to see that she looked excited rather than ill. She like him loved the speed, sudden drops and hairpin turns. She actually groaned a little in disappointment when the cart slowed beside his vault. Together they climbed out of the cart as Tebodn fit the tiny golden key into the lock. The door opened and Ginny stood awed at the amount of gold that shone from inside the vault. Harry took the bag that Tebodn handed him and hastily began shoveling handfuls of gold into it. He took far more than he usually did. He was planning on buying a lot of clothing today, he knew that he would probably have to replace a lot of his school things for the fall and maybe Ginny would even let him buy her something.

As they climbed back into the cart Harry said, "I wish your parents would take some of my money, I offer every so often, but they never do."

"There is a lot of pride in making it by on their own," Ginny told him.

"I know, but I'd like to repay them for their kindness," Harry said.

After they returned to the bank lobby and changed some of the gold for muggle money Harry and Ginny went to Madame Malkin's robe shop to buy Harry some new dress robes for Fred's funeral. While there Harry bought some new school robes too. Even if he got his back from the Dursley's house there was no saying that they would be long enough anymore. The less shopping he had to do during the back to school rush the better. He saw Ginny eyeing some emerald green dress robes in the witches' area of the shop and asked Madame Malkin to include a set in Ginny's size with his purchase. Once outside the shop Harry handed Ginny the small parcel with her robes inside. "This one is yours," Harry said.

"I didn't buy anything in there," Ginny protested.

"No, but I bought this for you," Harry explained.

"Harry," Ginny said quietly, "You didn't have to do that."

"I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I had no money growing up with the Dursley's and the only things I ever got from them were cast offs of Dudley's. I don't know what to do with the money my parents and Sirius left me. What good is it if I can't share it with people around me?" Harry said.

"None, I guess," Ginny replied.

"So, please let me buy you things now and then, it will make me happy," Harry said.

Ginny smiled as she stopped at a table outside the abandoned ice cream parlor to unwrap her parcel. She pulled the emerald green robes out of their wrappings and held them in front of her. Admiring herself in a store window's reflection she asked, "What do you think?"

"Beautiful," Harry said with a smile.

"Thank you Harry," Ginny said, kissing him.

"Do you need to go to any other shops here or should we go buy you some clothes in London?" Ginny asked.

"I want to buy a new owl before school starts but I don't need to buy one today, as long as your parents don't mind I'll keep using theirs for now," Harry said, thinking out loud, "I am going to need to buy a new broom too, mine didn't survive the night I was moved to the Burrow before I turned seventeen."

"Ooooh," Ginny said excitedly, "Let's go look at brooms. A co-captain needs a good broom."

Loving that Ginny shared his enthusiasm over Quidditch and brooms Harry gamely followed her toward Quality Quidditch Supplies. The store was nearly empty and together they spent over an hour comparing the different broomsticks for sale. Finally they agreed that Harry should buy a Firebolt 2, a broom nearly identical to the one he had lost a year before but with a few upgrades. Using nearly all the gold he had left in his bag Harry bought the broom. He considered waiting to buy it until he returned to do some back to school shopping but Ginny made a compelling point that the broom might be out of stock by then and as the co-captain of the team she insisted he buy the broom and break it in over the summer.

Harry and Ginny decided to have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron before heading out to a muggle department store. He asked Tom the barman if he might store his and Ginny's packages for them until they returned home later in the afternoon. Tom agreed and took them into a backroom for safe keeping.

"I suspect he wouldn't do that for anyone besides Harry Potter," Ginny said.

"Maybe not, but I'll take advantage of it," Harry said, "One of the few advantages to being me."

They enjoyed sandwiches and soup before telling Tom they'd be back later. He took Ginny's hand in his own and led her toward the subway. The only department store he knew the location of in London was Debenham's on Oxford Street. He had been there a handful of times with Petunia and Dudley and from his recollections, would have everything he needed.

Like her father Ginny appeared fascinated at being in the muggle world. She watched in fascination as he bought tokens to ride the subway to Oxford Street. "I take it you've never ridden the subway before either," Harry asked.

"No," Ginny replied with a little smile, "You are doing a fantastic job of keeping my mind off things today. Lots of new things to take in."

"Good," Harry said squeezing her hand.

Their train came along shortly and they stepped aboard. All the seats were full so Harry demonstrated to Ginny that she should hold onto the bar along the ceiling for support. The ride was not long and soon they were disembarking at the Bond Street Station. From there they walked a few blocks to Oxford Street where Harry spied the familiar department store.

It was clear as soon as they entered the large glass double doors that Ginny had never before been in a muggle department store either. Her eyes widened at the vast array of choices before them and said, "Muggle clothing as far as the eye can see."

Harry chuckled and said, "Come on." They stepped onto an escalator and headed up to the men's floor. "If you see anything you want, let me know," he added.

"You might be sorry you offered," Ginny said with a smile.

In the men's section Harry selected several pairs of jeans in his size as well as tee-shirts and sweaters. "I should try this stuff on. Do you want to see if you can find undershirts, socks and boxers?" He asked Ginny, blushing over the last bit.

"Mr. Potter, I do believe you are blushing," Ginny teased, "Who do you think folded all your laundry last night?"

"I thought your Mum did, actually," Harry said,

"She washed everything, I folded it while you and Hermione were working in Fred's room," Ginny said.

"Well, thanks," Harry said, "See if you can pick me out some that aren't too ostentatious, some of what muggles will wear is too wild in my opinion."

Harry stepped into the changing room and quickly tried on everything he'd selected. He made two piles of clothing as he tried everything on, things he wanted and things he didn't. When he finished and began folding everything to buy into a more tidy pile he overhead a voice outside his cubicle that made his blood run cold. "Dudley," it called, "try on the blue sweater next, darling." Unsure of how to proceed Harry froze for a moment. What were the odds of running into them here? Not wanting to run into them, but not wanting to make Ginny wait any longer for him, he emerged with his pile of clothing and saw his Aunt Petunia sitting in a chair just inside the dressing room door.

"Um, hello," Harry said uncomfortably.

"Harry," Petunia said calmly, "You survived the battle, or whatever it was then?"

"Um, yeah," Harry replied, "Are you back at your house?"

"No, you were right, it was completely destroyed, burnt to the ground," Petunia said, "As much as I'd like to blame you for it happening, I know I should be thanking you for telling us to get out."

Harry noticed that she didn't actually say thank you though. At this moment Dudley emerged from his cubicle in a dark blue sweater and jeans. His eyes widened in shock as he took in Harry and said, "Harry, how are you? Fancy running into you here."

"Hey Dudley," Harry responded cheerfully, "School shopping?"

"Yes, Dudley is going off to University this fall," Petunia sniffed.

"Wow, Dudley," Harry said, "Congratulations."

"What are you up to?" Dudley asked, "Is there University in your world?"

"No not really. I'm actually going back to my school for my seventh year. I missed it last year because I was on the run from Voldemort," Harry said, 'I'm also going to do some training to become an Auror, well, technically I already am an Auror, but most people have to go through the training before they become one."

"What's an Auror?" Dudley asked.

"A dark wizard catcher," Harry explained, "Rather like the police in the muggle world, in a way."

At that moment Ginny came around the corner and said, "Harry, I've been waiting for you."

"Ginny," Harry said, "This is my Aunt Petunia and my Cousin Dudley. This is my girlfriend Ginny."

Dudley put out a hand to Ginny and when she took it he shook hers and said, "Nice to meet you."

Petunia just smiled weakly at the two of them.

"Well, we'd better be on our way we have a lot of errands to finish," Harry said lamely, "Good to see you both. Say hello to Uncle Vernon for me."

"Bye Harry," Dudley said brightly, "I'm glad you're doing well."

"Thanks Dudley," Harry replied.

When they were far enough away from the dressing rooms Ginny said, "They seemed alright."

"Well, Uncle Vernon was always the worst of the three. Petunia was my mother's sister so she put up with me slightly better than he did. Dudley has gotten nicer to me every year since I saved him from the dementors," Harry explained, "I reckon one day he will be appear to be a naturally pleasant person. I reckon they are more okay with me than ever at the moment because I talked them into going into hiding before my seventeenth birthday and that was the right thing to do. Their house was burnt to the ground."

"Did she tell you that just now?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, well I asked because I left my school trunk and things there when I left from there for the last time," Harry said.

"Looks like we'll have to make another shopping trip before school starts," Ginny said smiling, "Did you get everything you need for today?"

"I need to go grab a couple more pairs of pants, I didn't like all of the ones I brought in with me and a few other shirts. Did you find the other things?" Harry asked, "Let's see."

Ginny showed him two packages of undershirts, one package of white and one of gray, two packages of socks, one of white and one of black and about a dozen pairs of boxer shorts. Harry rifled through the boxers, most looked fine with dots or stripes or plain or plaid but near the back of the pile he picked up a pair printed with yellow ducks and asked, "What are these?"

"I thought they were cute," Ginny explained with a laugh.

Unable to deny her something that gave her such obvious joy he just rolled his eyes and left them in the pile. He backtracked to the men's area and picked up a few more things.

"Now shoes," Harry said, "I need new sneakers and maybe some boots."

"Let's get a cart," Ginny said, "This is a lot to carry." They stopped and piled everything into a cart. As they headed toward shoes Ginny said, "Do you mind looking at shoes alone? I thought I might wander through the women's area for a bit."

"No problem, I will come find you when I'm through here," Harry said.

It didn't take Harry long to pick out sneakers and boots in his size. He suspected that Ginny would not yet have had her fill of wandering through the women's clothing so he decided to circle the floor and make sure there was nothing he'd overlooked. In the ten minutes it had taken him to circle the floor he added some pajamas and a sweatshirt he rather liked. Finding the elevator he headed back down to the main floor with his cart in search of Ginny.

Her red hair made her easy to see across the sea of women's clothing. She had a pale pink sweater draped over her arm and was studying a display of lacy underwear. She had just picked up a lavandar pair when Harry stopped beside her and said, "I rather like the black ones."

Startled Ginny dropped the lavander pair and whirled to face him. Her face had turned amazingly red as she stammered, "Harry, you scared me."

"Now who's blushing?" Harry teased.

Ginny seemed at a loss for words and finally said, "Did you find everything you needed?"

"I'm sorry," Harry said, "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"You didn't really, I'm just being silly," Ginny said, "I meant to be looking at something else when you found me."

"Would you like some?" Harry asked, a slight hitch in his voice.

"I think that you would," Ginny teased him back.

"Get the black ones and the purple ones," Harry said huskily.

"I've never owned such fancy knickers," Ginny mused.

They paid for their purchases and walked back to the Bond Street Station. The subway was less crowded this time and they found seats next to each other. Ginny leaned her head on his shoulder and said, "I had a wonderful time today, thank you."

"I should be thanking you," Harry said, "You made this whole outing a lot more fun for me. I usually detest clothes shopping. You make everything more fun."

"I think I will wear my new robes tomorrow for the funeral with my black shawl," Ginny said.

"You will look beautiful," Harry replied.

When they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron Tom fetched their other packages from the back room. Laden with packages they carefully situated to floo back to the Burrow. When they arrived in the kitchen one after the other Molly was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"Hello dears," Molly called over her shoulder, "Get everything you needed?"

"And some," Harry muttered just loud enough for Ginny to hear.

"Yes Mum," Ginny said, "Mum are there any extra school trunks around that Harry can use? We ran into his Aunt and Cousin at Debenham's and they told Harry that death eaters burned their house to the ground last summer. Harry had left his school trunk with robes and books and stuff there. It seems silly for him to buy a new trunk for just the one year."

"I'm sure we do, why don't you look up in the attic," Molly suggested, "You'll have to let me see what you bought a little later."

Harry and Ginny raced up to Ron's bedroom and dumped the bags on Harry's bed. Ginny went across the hall to the storage area and Harry could hear her moving boxes around. A few minutes later Ginny reappeared dragging a large school trunk behind her. "I think this one was Percy's." Ginny said.

Harry pointed his wand at it and said, "Scourgify," to remove the layer of dust that had collected on it. The trunk was empty inside and Harry repeated the 'scourgify' charm to ensure the trunk was as clean as it could be. Harry and Ginny carefully began to fold Harry's new clothes and what was worth saving of his old clothes into the trunk. Ginny hung his new dress robes in Ron's closet to keep them from wrinkling. Harry gathered up all the clothing he wasn't keeping to offer them to Molly for cleaning rags. Ginny picked up her packages and turned to carry them down to her room. As she was about to leave Molly appeared on the landing below them and said, "Okay, I want to see what you bought."

Harry and Ginny's eyes met remembering what was in the package with the pale pink sweater Harry had bought her. Thinking fast Ginny tossed Harry that parcel and started with the other of her packages saying, "Mom, Harry bought me some robes he caught me admiring at Madame Malkins."

As Molly and Ginny admired the beautiful robes Harry removed the lacy knickers from the other parcel and stuffed them under his pillow. "Did you show your Mom the sweater I bought you too?" Harry asked as he tossed the parcel back to Ginny.

"Oh Harry, these are beautiful," Molly said.

"I didn't pick them out, I just paid for them," Harry said.

"I remember when Arthur and I were courting and he used to buy me things," Molly said wistfully, "Okay, Harry let's see what you bought."

Ginny showed her the new black dress robes, shoes, jeans, shirts, sweaters, pajamas, socks and everything else they bought all the way down to the boxers with ducks on them. Harry blushed at that and changed the subject asking, "There is the pile of clothes that are too destroyed to keep or too small, can you use them for rags or anything?"

Molly sorted through the clothes when Ginny suddenly said, "Wait, I want that tee-shirt and these old pajama pants."

"Why would you want to keep those old things?" Harry asked.

"They remind me of you," Ginny said indignantly.

"Awww," Molly said, "You two are so sweet."

"Ginny found me Percy's old school trunk, is it okay if I use it?" Harry asked.

"I'm sure it is," Molly said, "I'm going to go finish dinner, it should be ready in fifteen minutes or so." She picked up the rest of Harry's old clothes and carried them downstairs with her.

When Ginny was sure that Molly was well out of earshot she asked, "Where did you hide them?"

"Under my pillow," Harry whispered back.

Ginny grabbed them and shoved them back into the parcel with the sweater. "That was a close one," She added. "I doubt she would have found it so cute that you bought me lacy knickers."

"No, probably not," Harry agreed as he pulled Ginny into his arms.

"Want to try out your new broom after dinner?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Harry said excitedly, "I'd nearly forgotten about the broom."

"Next time we go to London can we go to a yarn store?" Ginny asked, "I'm going to need more sock yarn for Christmas gifts."

"Sure," Harry said, "When is our next trip?"

"Soon," Ginny said, "Today was too much fun not to do it again soon."

"Okay," Harry agreed with a grin.

Despite how hungry they were after their day of shopping Harry and Ginny could not eat quickly enough. "What's the rush you two?" Arthur asked.

With a mouth full of food Ginny replied, "Harry bought a new broom today and which ever of us finishes eating first gets to fly it first."

"You brought a new broom?" Ron asked, "Bloody hell, you kept that quiet."

"Language Ron," Molly and Hermione said in unison. "And you two, slow down, you're being disgusting," Molly added to Harry and Ginny.

Harry shrugged and continued shoveling food into this mouth. He beat Ginny by a single bite. He rinsed his plate and ran out to the porch where he and Ginny had stashed the broom before dinner and tore the packaging open. Ginny, Ron, Bill and Charlie burst out the back door behind him and exclaimed over the broom.

"A Firebolt 2," Ron moaned, "Wow! Can I try it?"

"After Ginny and I are done," Harry said.

"Perhaps Bill and I should make sure it is safe enough for Ginny to be riding on that," Charlie suggested.

Harry laughed and repeated, "Me and Ginny first." He threw his leg over the broom and pulled Ginny on behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and Harry zoomed into the air leaving her brothers behind.

Harry put the broom through its paces with Ginny urging him on. The Firebolt 2 did not seem any faster than the original but the balance was far superior. Harry and Ginny dove, rolled and spun. After nearly forty-five minutes of putting the broom through its paces Harry landed intending to switch places and let Ginny fly. Ginny had other ideas however. She launched herself into his arms and crushed her lips to his. When she moved her lips to his neck he asked, "What is this all about?"

"I've been waiting all day to get you alone again, to finish what we started this morning and I think we're alone now," Ginny whispered. Indeed the only thing he could hear was his heartbeat.

Harry returned his lips to hers and pulled her body tight against his. Ginny's hands grasped the hem of his shirt and broke lip contact long enough to pull it over his head. Their lips reconnected and her warm hands roamed over his bare chest. Harry slid his hands across the smooth skin of her back, pushing her shirt up as he went. When Harry went no further Ginny broke their lip contact again and taking charge, pulled her own shirt over her head and dropped it to the ground with his. Harry stared at her standing before him in her bra. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

"And I'm yours, so touch me," Ginny whispered back.

Harry gathered her into his arms and felt the breath stopping sensation of her bare skin upon his own. He slid his hands up and down her back and over her flat stomach. Ginny placed her hand over his and moved it on top of her left breast. "Here," she whispered, "Touch me here." Obeying her he slid his other hand up to cup her right breast as well. He explored as they kissed and when she pulled away again he traced his finger slowly along the edges of her bra wanting to explore further but knowing that tonight was not the night.

"We should get back before your brothers send out a search team," Harry whispered.

"You don't want me?" Ginny asked.

"It's not that," Harry said, "I want you so much. I just think we should take things slow. We have so much time for all of this. I don't want to do something that we can't take back. I also know that grief can make a person reckless. After Sirius and then Dumbledore died I went through phases where I wanted to do horribly reckless things, as long as they took my mind away from the pain. I worry that you are trying to loose yourself still rather than face your pain over Fred. I wouldn't want you to regret anything later."

Without another word Ginny picked up their shirts from the ground and handed Harry his. Once dressed again Harry pulled Ginny back to him and hugged her tightly. "Soon, he whispered, "I promise."

Harry handed Ginny the broom and she climbed on first. He climbed on behind her and wrapped arms around her waist. He settled his chin on her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

He saw the smile return to her face as they took off and before they reached the back garden she said, "Thank you for today, it really was perfect."

"You're more than welcome," Harry replied.

Author's Note: A few people have mentioned wanting to see more Harry and Ginny – so here it is a Harry and Ginny centric chapter that I have been planning for a bit. The funeral will be the next chapter but probably won't be the entire chapter. I hope people are still enjoying the story. The question I'll pose tonight is this….Fred had five brothers, it is traditional to have six pallbearers….do I make Harry or Ginny the sixth? Harry because he will someday become a brother-in-law or Ginny because even though she was a girl she got on well with all her brothers and could whip any of them at Quidditch? I am torn, I could write it either way. Thanks for reading!


	7. Most of all: Joy, Love and Laughter

Harry sat in the front row of chairs in the Burrow's back garden along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fleur, Hermione and Great-Aunt Muriel. The rest of the Weasley siblings were to act as pallbearers and carry Fred's casket to where the minister stood. A few seats down from him Muriel was muttering about how inappropriate it was for Ginevra to be a pallbearer; pallbearers were supposed to be male and Ginevra was certainly not male. Harry longed to tell Muriel to be quiet. Ginny might not be male but she deserved to perform this last service to her brother as much as any of the others did. She loved Fred too and kept up with him and the rest of her brothers as well as any boy would have. Ginny acting as a pallbearer was hardly the most nontraditional thing about this funeral as far as he was concerned. The night before he asked Ginny why Fred's funeral and burial were to be at the Burrow rather than at a church or a cemetery. Ginny explained that her parents weren't very religious and so a church funeral didn't suit them. The back garden was large and by burying him there he would always be close. As they lived out in the country the nearest cemetery had not felt close enough and it didn't matter that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could apparate there to see him, they wanted to keep him close. Thinking about Fred, Harry thought this non-traditional arrangement would be more his style anyway. Harry glanced toward the back corner of the garden where an area had been fenced off and a lovely flowering bush had been planted and thought that it would be a fine placed to be laid to rest.

Family and friends had been arriving at the Burrow for the past hour and soon the funeral would start. Every seat was filled and still many more stood to the sides or behind where all the chairs had been set up. Harry recognized many friends and teachers from Hogwarts as well as other business owners from Diagon Alley and members of the Order. Finally an enchanted harp began to play a lovely but sad song and the six remaining Weasley siblings took their places around Fred's coffin; George and Ginny in the front, Ron and Percy in the middle and Bill and Charlie at the back. Not one of them remained dry-eyed as they marched down the aisle, Fred's coffin between them. When the coffin was situated each laid a single white rose upon its closed lid and moved to their seats. Ginny took her seat beside Harry and leaned into his shoulder. Harry put his arm around her and held one of her hands in his own.

The minister began speaking then, reading off his name, dates of birth and death, but Harry was only half listening. He was instead watching a slide show of memories of Fred in his mind. Fred and George had been the first to recognize who he was at King's Cross his first year. He remembered how friendly they had been helping him get his trunk onto the train and not making a big deal about his identity. He recalled all the fun he'd had during his summers at the Burrow with Fred, George, Ron and Ginny. Fred had always excelled at nicking food from the kitchen and getting a good party going after any Quidditch game. Fred had been a tremendous beater. Fred who was always brought the jokes, laughter, adventure and mischief to all he did. The things the minister was saying were just words, Harry hoped everyone could see Fred in their mind as clearly as he could right now. The memories were the important part, not the trivial details that this minister was reciting. The minister read a prayer for the departed and then announced that the deceased's brother wanted to say a few words. Harry was stunned to see Percy stand and walk behind the coffin. In his hands he held sheets of paper and Harry knew that was what Percy had been writing and writing the past few days.

"Fred was my brother, but no two brothers could be more different than we were. Fred, and George," Percy couldn't help but add the latter's name, "were the embodiment of fun and laugher and joy. I on the other hand like rules and order and purpose. Fred, and George, never met a rule they couldn't break and that sometimes made our relationship difficult. Despite our differences I always admired the way Fred looked at life and in his death I think we can all learn one thing. Life is too short and can be taken away when least expected. Live your life to the fullest and make it fun. The parts that matter most in the end are the joy and the love and the laughter. Fred had all of those things in abundance. Moving forward from today I intend to infuse a little more fun into my life and if nothing else it will make me think of Fred. While we mourn our loss in his death, let us also celebrate his life; if anyone has Fred stories to share I, for one, would love to hear them."

Percy returned to his seat where Molly rose from her chair and embraced him. "Thank you Percy. That was lovely," she said.

For several long minutes no one came forward and the minister looked unsure if he should continue with the funeral or wait. Finally George stood and moved behind the coffin. Placing his hand upon the lid he said, "Fred was my best friend, my twin brother and most of the time he felt like the other half of me. I once heard twins described as being one soul split into two bodies and that is how I feel Fred and I were. I'm not sure there will ever be someone who gets me the way he did. I miss him and most days I wake not knowing how I will make it through the day without him. I keep hoping that all of this is a really elaborate prank that he's got everyone in on but me. But I know that it isn't. Probably one of my best memories of Fred is how he got the idea to start the joke shop. Whenever there was a Hogsmeade weekend at Hogwarts we'd go to Zonko's and inevitably Fred would get into a long conversation with the owner about how he'd improve a product or list ideas for spin off products to produce. Finally the owner told Fred that if he had all these brilliant ideas why didn't he start his own joke shop. I don't think he thought Fred would take him seriously; he just wanted to get Fred off his back. Fred was the master behind the shop and I'm not sure how I'm going to continue on without him but if anyone is interested in a job let me know, it is probably about time I got back to work."

George returned to his seat and Lee Jordan took his place behind the coffin, "Fred and George are the best friends a guy could have. My time at Hogwarts would not have been the same without them. My favorite memory of them, because really I have no memories that don't include both of them, is when they'd finally had enough of Umbridge and set off all those fireworks in the school. That was absolutely brilliant."

Oliver Wood was next he told a long story about a match in which everything was going wrong but Fred and George's antics has kept their sprits high and against all odds they'd come back to win the match. "At times they made my captaincy difficult but most of the time they made it amazing."

Hagrid who could barely control his crying managed to get himself under control long enough to say, "I had to chase those two out of the forest more times than every other student who's ever gone to Hogwarts put together, but I'd do it all again."

One by one people got up to tell stories. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and none other of the siblings besides Percy and George got up to say anything, listening to the stories was proving to be as much as they could currently handle. When it appeared that no one else was going to come forward Harry got up and stood behind the coffin and said, "Fred and George were the first people to introduce themselves to me during my first year at Hogwarts. They helped me bring my trunk onto the train. They figured out who I was almost immediately and despite their interest they were unfailingly welcoming and accepting. As much as I have always admired their spirit and zest for life I will always remember them most for being so kind, welcoming and accepting of everyone around them. They always made everyone feel at home, like they belonged."

When there were truly no more words to be said the minister returned to the coffin recited another prayer and asked that the pallbearers come forward to move the coffin to the grave. The brothers and Ginny stood. George put his hand out to Harry and said, "Come on Harry, you were like Fred's brother too."

Harry and Ginny grasped the handle at the front together across from George. Together the seven of them moved the coffin to the back corner of the yard. They placed the coffin beside the freshly dug hole in the earth. Then moved back and with the other family members made a semi circle around the grave. The minister recited one final prayer before levitating the coffin into the grave. Harry felt the tears sliding down his face and heard the Weasleys crying around him. Each gathered a handful of dirt and threw it into the grave after the coffin. With a wave of his wand the pile of dirt neatly fell into the grave filling the hole. A simple white headstone with Fred's name and dates of birth and death appeared at the head of the grave. Ginny conjured a bouquet of wild flowers and placed them upon the fresh grave. The family stood silently for a while before one by one leaving the little fenced in area.

For hours after the funeral people milled around the garden talking about Fred and eating hors d'oeuvres. It was during that time when Harry first saw his Godson in person. Andromeda came toward him holding baby Teddy. He couldn't believe how tiny he was and how very much he looked like his mother. Andromeda held the tiny blue bundle out to Harry and awkwardly Harry took him in his arms. A lump formed in his throat and more tears streamed from his eyes. "He is amazing," Harry said.

"I wanted to tell you that the funeral for Nymphadora and Remus will be on Saturday. It is going to be in a small church near my home," Andromeda said.

"I will be there," Harry said without taking his eyes off of Teddy's peaceful, sleeping face, "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch, I should have contacted you and offered to help."

"You've been busy too," Andromeda, said kindly, "I heard you were at the school helping to do repairs."

"Yes," Harry agreed, "But I should have thought to contact you. Alone with this baby and a double funeral to plan; I'm sorry, are you doing okay?"

Andromeda dabbed at her eyes before saying, "It hasn't been unbearable. I think knowing that I have Teddy to take care of keeps me from falling apart."

"If you ever need help or money or anything please let me know," Harry said, "As Teddy's godfather I want to be able to support you in whatever way I can. Please."

"I would appreciate that Harry," Andromeda said, 'I'll let you know."

Harry offered to hold Teddy while Andromeda had a plate of food before heading home. He settled into a chair with the tiny infant and carefully rocked him as he slept, "I am so sorry that you have to grow up like me, not knowing your Mum and Dad. If I can help it you won't grow up without me though, I am going to be the best godfather ever. I will tell you all about your Mum and Dad and teach you things…" Harry trailed off as he realized he had an audience besides Teddy.

"You look good with a baby," Ginny said softly as she approached. She moved a chair next to Harry's and settled beside him.

"Teddy," Harry whispered, "This is Ginny, she will be pretty special in your life too. Ginny, this is my Godson, Teddy."

Ginny nudged his tiny hand with her finger and instinctively his fingers wrapped around hers. Gently she shook his tiny hand and said, "Lovely to meet you." Ginny rubbed his downy head and admired his tiny hands and feet before finally asking, "Can I hold him?"

Harry gingerly transferred the sleeping bundle into Ginny's arms. He watched her cradle his Godson and a feeling he couldn't quite describe filled his chest. He liked seeing her with a baby too. "Hey little guy," Ginny whispered, "Someday you'll be like an older cousin to our kids, won't that be fun?"

"You want to have kids someday?" Harry asked.

"Of course, don't you?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, I just never thought of it much before," Harry admitted.

Andromeda found them half an hour later and said, "I'll have to take up your offer for help in the way of babysitting, the two of you look very capable of handling him."

"We would love to," Ginny offered, "Any time."

They wished Andromeda a good night and promised to see her at the funeral in a few days. By this time the guests had either started to leave or were helping Hermione and Fleur tidy things up. Molly, Arthur and George were sent to their rooms to rest. When everything had been put in its place and the last of the guests had departed Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny sat in the back garden together.

"Now what?" Ron said, voicing what was on everyone's minds.

"I guess we get back to life as normal," Bill said, "Or as normal as it can be."

"Remus and Tonks' funeral is on Saturday," Harry said, "Is everyone going to be there?" Everyone nodded his or her assent.

"Bill and I are going to go back to Shell Cottage tomorrow morning," Fleur announced.

"Then we need to find out if we still have jobs at Gringotts or not," Bill said.

"I will stay until after Remus and Tonks' funerals then I need to head back to Romania," Charlie said.

"I have no idea if I have a job or not anymore," Percy said, "I'm not sure I care either way. I'm considering asking George if he wants to hire me."

"You work at a joke shop?" Ron asked in surprise.

"I was serious about what I said up there today. I'm going to work on having a little bit more fun," Percy said, "Being serious all the time didn't do me any favors. Besides, maybe I can keep books and run numbers or something…you know be the behind the scenes guy."

"That sounds good Percy," Hermione said encouragingly.

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "It might be good for George to get back to work and I reckon he'd have a better go at it with some help."

"What about you lot?" Charlie asked looking at Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

"We'll just be home until school starts," Ron said.

"Except for Harry," Ginny added, "He'll probably go on a couple Auror assignments this summer before school starts."

"Do you know when?" Bill asked.

"I haven't heard anything," Harry said, "But I'd bet that Kingsley is waiting until after the funerals are over and things settle down some more."

"Maybe we could help at the shop too," Hermione said, "Help get George up and running again."

"That's a great idea," Percy said.

"I'd like to spend some more time with Teddy this summer," Harry said, "I'd like him to know me better than I got to know Sirius."

"That sounds nice," Ginny replied.

The group sat in silence for a while just enjoying the summer afternoon. Eventually Fleur rose saying that she was going to go change out of her dress robes and start fixing dinner. Hermione and Ginny offered to help and also went into the house. Harry realized suddenly that he was left alone with four of Ginny's older brothers. Nervously he waited for one of them to start talking. When one of them finally did what they said was unexpected.

"Harry," Bill said, "We wanted to let you know that we agree whole-heartedly with what George said earlier today about you being one of the family, like another of Fred's brothers, our brother. We are all aware of how close you and Ginny are and we wanted you to know that you have our blessing."

George came out of the house at this moment and said, "If Fred were here you'd have his blessing too."

Harry felt a lump rise in his throat as he struggled to hold his emotions in check, "Thanks guys," he whispered, "I never understood what it was like to have a family until the first summer I came to stay here. You all are the family I never got to have."

"Are your intentions, as far as Ginny is concerned, honorable?" Percy asked.

"Any fool can see he's in love with her," Ron said impatiently, "He's going to marry her someday."

"Is that true?" Bill asked.

"Yes, if she'll have me when someday comes," Harry said.

"Treat her right Harry," Charlie said.

"She's the only sister we've got," George added.

"And the baby of the family," Percy said.

"No worries," Harry said, "She is more important to me than anything in the world. And I'd be a bloody idiot to make a mess of things with a girl whose got five older brothers."

"We trust you Harry," Ron said, "Just make her happy."

After a quiet dinner of a simple French stew that Fleur, Hermione and Ginny put together everyone went their separate ways much like the first night they had returned to the Burrow. Everyone had too much on their mind and in their heart to be much comfort to anyone else.

Harry found Ginny in her room knitting the quill patterned socks. "Care for some company?" he asked. Ginny made room for him on her bed and he watched her knit in silence. "How are you doing?" He finally asked.

"I'm sad, but holding up," Ginny said, "How are you?"

"The same," Harry replied.

After nearly an hour more of Ginny knitting while Harry watched Ginny said, "My fingers are starting to cramp, want to go take a walk?"

"Sure," Harry agreed.

Ginny led him out the back door into the yard. Harry followed her to the far east edge of the yard and through a gap in the bushes. A couple dozen yards in was a small clearing and a wide wooden swing hung from the branch of an old tree. They sat side by side on the swing and half-heartedly made an attempt to get it going. When they'd given up and just sat together there Ginny turned toward him and put her arms around him.

"Just hold me, Harry," She whispered.

Harry obeyed, shifting his body on the swing and wrapping her into his arms. He stroked her hair and just held her close. Without thinking at all he whispered, "I love you, Ginny."

Without pulling out of his embrace she whispered back, "You've never said that to me before."

"I know," Harry said, "I was afraid to. I don't have much experience saying I love you or hearing it, I didn't know how to say it. Even though this is the first time I'm saying it, it doesn't mean that I haven't felt it for a long time."

"I love you too, Harry," Ginny whispered, "What made you say it today?"

"All of the things Percy said at the funeral, about life being too short and love being one of the things that mattered most in the end," Harry said, "It was time."

"Thank you," Ginny said.

Loosening his hold on her Harry turned and kissed her.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading – reviews are always appreciated and suggestions too!

Someone made a comment that they didn't like that I was going to bury Fred in the back garden. They felt that the garden was where you bury pets or house elves. The point was very well taken and I gave my plans a lot of thought before continuing on. Had I not already mentioned where I was going to bury him I might have changed it but I decided to soldier on. I gave some of my reasons for burying him there in my first paragraph of this chapter but one other reason is that funerals and cemetery plots can quite expensive. I thought maybe the Weasleys might choose to keep things close to home due in part to their financial situation. I hope I haven't offended anyone too much – I really don't think it would be such a bad thing though.


	8. Letters

_Harry was running down the endless corridors of Hogwarts castle. Damage and destruction was evident on every side. Harry was searching for the Grey Lady, who was the ghost of Ravenclaw, he needed to find the diadem of Ravenclaw and time was running short. As Harry ran he had to leap over the bodies that littered the floor. Most he didn't recognize but as the careened around a corner he stumbled to avoid a redheaded body sprawled across the floor. Pausing he bent down to get a look at the face when an deafening blast sounded behind him…_

Harry sat up on his cot up in the attic at the Burrow and shuddered. He hadn't had a battle dream since before they'd left the castle. He'd really hoped that he wouldn't ever have one again. He was grateful though that he'd woken up before discovering the identity of the redheaded body.

"You okay?" Ron asked in a sleepy voice.

"Yeah, it was just a nightmare," Harry replied, "I'm going to go get a drink of water." Harry rose from his bed and pulled on his pajama pants over his boxers before removing his sweaty tee shirt and tossing it onto the floor. As he descended the stairs to the kitchen the cool air woke him and pushed the dream further away. In the kitchen he gulped down a large glass of cold water.

When he felt calmer he started back up the stairs toward the attic. As he passed the landing Ginny's room was off of he noticed light shining from beneath her door. Quietly he opened her door and peered in. Ginny was fast asleep on her bed still propped against her headboard with her knitting grasped in her hands. Gently Harry pried the knitting out of her hands and set it on her bedside table. Her eyed fluttered open and she asked, "Harry, what's going on?"

"You must have fallen asleep knitting last night," Harry explained. "I saw light under your door when I went to get a drink of water and thought I'd make sure you were okay."

"Did you have another nightmare?" Ginny asked studying his face.

"No," Harry lied, "I was just hot and needed some water."

"Why are you lying," Ginny asked, "I can see it in your eyes. They always have that haunted look after you've had another dream."

"I just don't want you to worry," Harry said.

"That's sweet, but you don't have to protect me," Ginny said. "Get in," She said pointing at her bed.

"What?" Harry said, "I have to go back to my own bed."

"Relax," Ginny said, "I'm not going to try anything. You'll sleep better if you're with me."

Harry climbed into Ginny's bed, too tired to argue with her. Ginny switched off the lamp and climbed in beside him. He turned on his side and pulled Ginny's back against his chest and wrapped his arm around her waist, spooning her. "Make sure I wake up early enough to get back up to the attic before anyone notices I'm not in the right place." He kissed the back of her neck before falling into a deep sleep.

"Harry," Ginny whispered urgently, what felt like minutes later. "The sun is starting to rise, my parents will be up soon, time to go back up to the attic."

"Mmmmmm," Harry said stretching, "Thank you." He kissed her cheek and pulled the covers back up to her chin after he'd climbed out. "See you later."

Harry tiptoed back up to the attic and thought he'd made it unnoticed when Ron said, "Where have you been? I remember you waking me up with a nightmare but I'm pretty sure you never came back."

"I went to get some water and fell asleep downstairs," Harry said.

"Like downstairs in my sister's room?" Ron asked, "I know you weren't asleep on the couch in the sitting room that's where Hermione is sleeping."

Harry scrambled around for what to say and decided on the truth, "We just slept, no fooling around. When I went by her room on my way back up here I saw that her light was on. She had fallen asleep while knitting last night and I was just going to turn off her light."

"I believe you," Ron said, "But you'd better not let Mum or Dad catch you in her bed."

"Bill, Charlie, Percy or George either," Harry added.

Sighing Ron said, "I'm sure Ginny convinced you to stay."

"She did," Harry said sheepishly.

"Just go back to sleep," Ron grunted.

"Night," Harry said.

"Yeah, yeah." Ron muttered.

A few hours later when the sun had fully risen Harry got up and after finding some clothes went to wait for the bathroom to open up. Ginny emerged a few minutes later, her long red hair damp from the shower. "Good morning," Ginny said as she flashed him a brilliant smile. Harry grinned back and headed into the bathroom. As he undressed to get into the shower he noticed that Ginny had drawn a heart with the initials G and H on the fogged up bathroom mirror. His stomach gave a little lurch; sometimes he couldn't believe that she was his again. He felt like the luckiest guy on earth.

When Harry arrived at the breakfast table he had two letters waiting by his plate. He munched some toast as he opened the first and chuckled at Ginny's very obvious attempt to read over his shoulder.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_As you requested I am contacting you to let you know that everything is in place for the immediate funeral and burial of Mr. Severus Snape. The casket containing the body of Mr. Snape is ready in the church beside the cemetery in Godric's Hollow. If your schedule permits I can perform the funeral and burial this afternoon at one o'clock. Please let me know by return owl if I can expect you._

_Sincerely,_

_Sebastian Ripple_

_Minister to Wizards_

Harry handed the letter to Ginny so she could ready it properly before opening the second.

_Dear Harry,_

_The new head of the Auror Department, Reed Axelrod, and I have a case we'd like your assistance on. I'm hoping that you feel ready to report in the day after Remus and Tonk's funeral. We'd like you at the Ministry at six in the morning and please pack a bag in anticipation of being away for a week. Please let me know if we can expect you or if you need more time._

_Thank-you,_

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_

_Minister of Magic_

Reluctantly Harry handed Ginny this second letter as well and watched as her face fell. He knew that she was dreading being apart as much as he was. Ron and Hermione were quietly watching them from across the table. Finally Ron said, "Clearly you have some news. Let's hear it."

"Everything is ready for Snape's funeral. It is going to take place a one this afternoon in Godric's Hollow. Anyone who'd like to come is welcome," Harry said, "But I will understand completely if no one wants to go. I fully intended to be the only person there to witness his burial."

"I'll come," Ginny said quietly.

"Me too," Hermione said.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Ron added.

"You'll understand if I would rather not come," George said.

"No problem, George," Harry said.

"I'll stay and keep George company," Charlie said.

"I have to report back into work this morning," Arthur said.

"Bill and I are going back home this morning," Fleur said.

"I'm going to go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to start some book keeping for the shop," Percy said.

"I have to go to the market," Molly said.

"What does the other letter say?" Hermione asked.

"I have to report to the Ministry on Sunday morning for my first Auror case," Harry said, "I'll be gone for a week."

"Wow," Ron said, "Who are you after?"

"I don't know any details, I don't even know where I'm going," Harry said.

"Isn't being an Auror very dangerous, Harry?" Fleur asked.

"Yeah, sometimes," Harry said, "I guess."

At that moment Ginny jumped up from the table and slammed out the back door into the garden.

"Oh dear," Molly said, "She's upset."

"She just got Harry back," Hermione said, "I'm sure she's worried about losing him all over again."

"That isn't going to happen," Harry said.

He got up from the table intending to follow her when Mrs. Weasley pushed him back down and said, "Finish your breakfast before you go after her. She'll need a few minutes to calm down."

Harry ate his breakfast quickly, barely tasting it before jamming his feet into his sneakers by the back door. Sure that Ginny had jumped on a broom and flown off Harry headed to the broom shed. Sure enough his Firebolt 2 was missing. Harry grabbed Ginny's Cleansweep and took off into the sky. Unsure of where to even begin looking for her he started flying in large circles around the Burrow searching both sky and ground for her. Eventually Ginny found him. She whizzed past him on his own broom and he took off after her. If he didn't know that Ginny was upset he would have enjoyed their little game of cat and mouse. Chasing her beautiful backside across the sky was rather exciting.

Harry couldn't keep up with her on his broom but when she finally slowed down enough for him to catch up he pulled up beside her and shouted over the wind whistling around them, "Can we talk?"

Ginny nodded and motioned toward the ground. Harry followed her and found himself landing next to the river. Ginny climbed up onto a large rock by the bank and sat down. Harry climbed up next to her and said, "I understand that you're upset, but you knew that I was going to take some Auror cases this summer."

"I know, I'm being ridiculous," Ginny admitted, "It just feels too soon. I jut got you back. I'm not ready to face the possibility of you getting hurt or killed out on an assignment."

"That isn't going to happen," Harry said.

"But how can you be sure?" Ginny whispered.

"Well, I guess I don't but I will be working with professional, experienced Aurors," Harry said, "Do you really think they'll let anything happen to me on my first case?"

"You're going to be gone for a whole week," Ginny moaned.

"I'm going to miss you too," Harry said, putting his finger beneath her chin and turning her face toward his own, "So much."

"You're going to have to make this up to me," Ginny said slyly.

"Oh yeah, how?" Harry asked, his mouth dipping to kiss her neck while his hands found the hem of her shirt and slid underneath, tracing circles on her lower back.

"Well, this is a good start," Ginny said as she moved her mouth to his ear.

Harry and Ginny enjoyed an uninterrupted half hour of making out until Ron and Hermione appeared on the path down from the house. Ron cleared his throat loudly and said, "You still need to send your response to that minister if you want to do Snape's funeral today."

"I forgot about that," Harry said dazed, as he hunted for his tee shirt.

"Over here Romeo," Ron muttered pointing to Harry's shirt, which had snagged on the branch of a large bush.

"Thanks," Harry said.

"Nice love bite Harry," Hermione snickered.

"I'll walk Harry back to the house," Ron said, "You girls come up soon though, we'll have to get ready for the funeral."

As Ron and Harry disappeared from view Hermione sat down on the rock beside Ginny.

"Poor Harry," Ginny said, "I didn't mean to get him in trouble, again."

"He's not in trouble," Hermione said, "Ron's just being an older brother. He wants to know that your virtue is being protected."

"Does he not see that I'm the aggressor most of the time?" Ginny wondered, "Not that Harry is turning me away, but I'm the one who keeps pushing."

"Why do you think that is?" Hermione asked, "You seemed pretty firm on things moving slowly last time we talked about this."

"I know," Ginny said, "But once we get started it is so hard to slow down, you of all people should understand that." When Hermione nodded Ginny continued, "Partly though I think it has to do with keeping him. I feel like he won't break things off with me so easily this time if our relationship has progressed further."

"Ginny," Hermione said, "Harry didn't have an easy time breaking things off before. He was miserable last year without you. You know perfectly well that his breaking things off with you had nothing to do with your physical relationship."

"I know, it's stupid, but I keep thinking that his honor would keep him from breaking things off with a girl he's been intimate with to go chasing death eaters," Ginny said.

"Harry loves you. I don't think he could break things off with you anymore if he wanted to. He won't do that to either of you ever again, I'm not supposed to tell you this but he told Ron that he was going to marry you someday,' Hermione said.

"I know, he told me that too," Ginny confessed.

"So what are you worried about?" Hermione said.

"I don't know," Ginny said then quickly added, "What if he gets hurt or killed? He's going to be gone for a whole week, I'm going to miss him."

Hermione chuckled a little before hugging Ginny and saying, "Oh you poor, confused, lovesick girl, you're not making any sense."

Ron didn't say anything at first. Harry began to think that maybe Ron wasn't going to say anything then finally he said, "Don't you think you and my sister are moving a little fast."

"Not really, not compared with what you and Hermione get up to," Harry accused.

"You leave Hermione and I out of this. I'm talking about you and Ginny," Ron said.

"I'm not sure how it is any of your business," Harry shot back.

"She is my only sister, I don't want to see her getting in over her head," Ron growled.

"She's not," Harry said, "Back when we were still at the castle we discussed how far we were willing to take things before we got married and trust me when I say that we both know the boundaries. We are moving so slowly and she is the aggressor, not me."

"So you missing your shirt back there?" Ron asked.

"That was all her," Harry said.

"And if Hermione and I had come along five minutes later would she have been missing her shirt as well?" Ron asked.

"Only if she took it off herself," Harry said, "Look Ron, I'm not saying that we're just holding hands but we're not doing things that we don't both want and we're not moving any faster or father than you saw right there. I'm sorry you had to stumble across us like that but it's not everything that you're making it out to be."

Ron sighed and said, "Yeah, maybe I'm just letting my imagination get carried away."

"Perhaps thinking that Ginny and I are doing the same things you and Hermione are?" Harry suggested.

"Maybe," Ron said with a blush.

Back in the house Harry scribbled a note back to the minister and sent Pig on his way. He also replied to Kingsley and sent that note off with Hermes who had been around since Percy was staying at the Burrow. Checking the clock Harry realized that he'd better get changed soon. When Ginny and Hermione arrived back in the kitchen after putting the brooms back in the shed Harry told them and Ron that the funeral was at one, and he wanted to apparate to Godric's Hollow about fifteen minutes before that. The four of them quickly devoured sandwiches from Molly before heading upstairs to change into dress robes.

As Ron and Harry changed Harry remembered something from much earlier. "Why is Hermione sleeping on the couch in the sitting room instead of in Ginny's room?"

"What?" Ron asked, clearly confused by the train of thought.

"You said Hermione slept on the couch in the sitting room last night," Harry said.

"The last two nights actually," Ron said, "Ginny has been keeping her up with her knitting, so Hermione has been sleeping on the couch. Tonight she can move into Bill's room since they went home this morning. By the way, they said to tell you and Ginny good-bye."

"I guess I didn't realize she was knitting so late into the night," Harry said.

"She is using your tactic of making sure she is as exhausted as possible before going to sleep so her mind does have much of a chance to dwell on Fred. I imagine that when you are away being an Auror she will be knitting more than ever."

"I better take her to a yarn shop for more sock yarn like I promised before I leave then," Harry said.

The four of them met back in the kitchen twenty minutes before one. Molly fussed over how nice they all looked and told them that she'd expect them all back in time for dinner.

They apparated in front of the little church in Godric's Hollow at quarter to one. Quietly they filed into the church where the minister was already waiting for them in the alter.

"Are one of you Mr. Potter?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," Harry said as he stretched out his arm to shake the minister's hand, "Thank you for your help with this."

"You're welcome," the minister said, "Do you know if we are waiting for any other witnesses? Or do you think it would be okay to proceed."

"I can't imagine that anyone else would be coming," Harry admitted, "But if we could wait five minutes before starting?"

The minister nodded and said, "Sure." After five minutes in which the four of them sat in the front pew and waited while the minister paced back and forth in the small alter he said, "Let's begin."

The minister began to read details much like the minister had done at Fred's funeral. As the minister began to speak Harry let his mind wander like it had at Fred's funeral. Harry was amazed at how much of what Snape had done over the years could be looked at in a completely different light knowing what he did now. For as much as he and Snape had always loathed each other, underneath it all Snape has always worked to protect him and make sure he learned everything he needed to defeat Voldemort in the end. When the minister had concluded the service he asked, "Would anyone like to say anything or should we just head outside to the grave?"

Harry stood and walked up to the alter and stood beside the casket. "Professor Snape," Harry said, addressing the casket, "Thank you. Thank you for saving my life. I know that it is because of you that I am alive today. I know that you and I never got along or liked each other much but that will not change the fact that you will forever hold an important place in my life. I'm sure if my Mother was here today she would want me to convey her thanks as well, so thank you. Rest in peace."

Rather than levitating the casket Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny acted as pallbearers and carried it to the freshly dug grave near the back edge of the cemetery. The minister read another prayer, said a few words and levitated the coffin into the hole. The four of them each threw some dirt into the hole and finally the minister moved the pile of dirt back into the hole with a flick of his wand. A small gray marble headstone appeared bearing Snape's name and dates of birth and death. With the flick of his wand Harry added, 'Teacher, Protector, Good Guy.' Hermione conjured a wreath of wild flowers and set it upon the grave.

"I want to see your parent's graves," Ginny as she slipped her hand into Harry's.

The four of them picked their way through the rows of headstones finally stopping in front of Lily and James' headstone. After a few minutes Harry asked, "Can Ginny and I have a few minutes?"

"Sure," Hermione said, "I'm going to show Ron the war memorial."

"But I don't want to look at a stupid war memorial," Ron whined.

"Trust me, you do," Hermione said dragging him away.

When Harry and Ginny were alone he turned to her and said, "When I come here sometimes I talk to them like they can really hear me."

"I'm sure they can," Ginny said.

"So, I would like to introduce you to them," Harry said.

"I'd be honored," Ginny whispered.

"Mum, Dad," Harry said, "This is Ginevra Weasley, Ginny, she's my girlfriend and someday I'm going to marry her."

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Ginny said, "I love your son…thank you for him."

"I'm here today because we buried Snape here," Harry said, "Mum, he saved my life. He has protected me for years all because he loved you, so thank you."

"Voldemort is gone, all because of Harry," Ginny said, "But it all started with the two of you."

For the next twenty minutes Harry and Ginny continued to talk to Lily and James' headstones until they ran out of things to say.

"So, what is this war memorial that Hermione was talking about?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, I'll show you," Harry said, "Let me just say good-bye." Harry conjured a bouquet of white roses and placed them by the headstones and said, "I'll come visit again soon."

"Good-bye," Ginny whispered.

Together they walked to the center of the town where the war memorial stood. As they approached Ginny said, "I don't get it, it's just a war memorial."

"Just get a little closer," Harry said.

When Ginny got close enough she was able to see the statue of himself as a baby and his parents, "Amazing," She breathed.

After Ginny had spent nearly ten minutes staring at the statue Hermione said, "We should show them the house too."

"Where your parents lived and…you know, died?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"It's still here?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Harry said.

The foursome made their way to the house. Ron and Ginny were as amazed by it as Harry and Hermione has been when they'd found it on Christmas Eve.

"Do you think any of their things are still in there?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," Harry said, "Probably."

"Maybe we should check it out," Ron suggested.

"Not today," Harry said, "We should go back to the Burrow."

Even though dinner wasn't for hours yet no one argued with Harry. They could tell that the mood had changed and he was ready to be done. Together they apparated back to the Burrow. Harry went up to the attic and pulled the dress robes off, throwing them to the floor. He grabbed the jeans he'd been wearing earlier and pulled them. He flopped onto his cot and heard Ginny call through the door, "Are you okay? Can I come in?"

"Yeah," He called.

She sat on the edge of his cot and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it just got to be too much," Harry said, "It still makes me mad that I've lived my whole life without them. Someday I would like to go into their house and look around but I'm not ready yet."

"That's fine," Ginny said, "When that day comes if you want company you know I'll be there for you."

"Thanks Gin," Harry said, "I appreciate that."

Ginny slipped out of her heels and lie down on the bed next to Harry. She was still wearing the emerald green dress robes she wore to the funeral. Harry ran his hands over the silky fabric that clung to her hips and allowed himself to be distracted. Ginny's mouth found his and her fingers found the locket-shaped scar on his chest. Eventually the kissing slowed and together they fell asleep on Harry's cot.

When they woke up an hour later Ginny asked, "Better?"

"Yes," Harry said, "Thank you. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Spending my time with you," Ginny said.

"I'm going to take you to the yarn shop tomorrow then," Harry said, "It sounds like you might need more while I'm gone." When Ginny didn't say anything Harry asked, "Are you going to be okay?"

A tear rolled down Ginny's cheek and she said, "I'm just going to miss you and worry like crazy until you come back to me."

"I know," Harry said, "But I'll be fine."

"I would worry if I knew you were going to a kitten farm for a week to help brush their fur," Ginny said, "I just need to get used to you going an assignments and see that you'll always come back to me."

"I will come back to you. I love you," Harry said, "We need to enjoy the two days we have until I have to report in."

"Okay," Ginny whispered, "I trust you."

Author's Note: This one felt like a bit of a filler chapter to me…I hope it was still worthwhile. If you have ideas, or suggestions or anything leave me a review. I love to hear how I'm doing. Thanks!


	9. Saying Goodbye

**Author's Note**: I'm going to start this one off with a note from me right away. Thanks to everyone that pointed out that I had Ginny calling Harry's parents Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in the graveyard….I was tired and should have stopped working. So I edited it, thanks for the heads up though…that's one way to get a review I guess. Someone said in a review that they didn't see Ginny being a knitter….it's funny because I'm not sure I think she is a knitter either. I think as a knitter Mrs. Weasley definitely would have taught her only daughter how to knit when she was young. I'm not sure that Ginny ever took much interest in it even though she could do it well. Currently she is using it as a distraction and as things become easier and she is happier I think she will set it aside again. She needs it right now though so she doesn't dwell on things. The only other thing she can do to keep her mind from the sadness and fear right now is fool around with Harry and I'm trying not to move things too quickly that area. I hope that explains things… this will pop up in this chapter.

The next day found Harry and Ginny venturing into London again. This time they were in search of a yarn shop. As Harry and Ginny sat side by side on the subway Harry voiced what he'd been thinking all morning, "I still can't believe that you knit."

"Why?" Ginny asked, "You see it as something that only prissy old women do?"

"Well, kind of, but it's more that, you're Ginny Weasley," Harry said, "You're an amazing Quidditch player and you have a red hot temper and you have 6 older brothers who can't keep up with you on a broom and you can cast a hex better than almost anyone I know and you're just not very girly….my point is you don't seem like the knitting type."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended about everything you just said or not," Ginny said with a frown.

"Definitely not offended," Harry said, "Those are some of the things I love most about you, they are what make you, you."

Ginny grinned and said, "I don't actually consider myself to be a knitter."

"Well now I'm just confused," Harry replied.

"Mum taught me how to knit when I was five. I had knitting lessons with her like other children have piano lessons. I rather detested them back then but now that I'm older I appreciate knowing how. I will never be one of those people who carries knitting around in their handbag but right now it is helping me," Ginny explained, "If I have something to concentrate on I can more easily forget, at least momentarily, some of what it eating me on the inside."

"I understand," Harry said.

"The only other thing I've come across that distracts me enough right now is fooling around with you," Ginny said huskily, "Which is why I need to stick with the knitting. I already have trouble restraining myself with you."

Harry swallowed before saying, "You know I'm always available to distract you."

"But it's a good thing I have the knitting too, "Ginny said, "Otherwise Ron's likely to blow a gasket."

"True," Harry agreed.

Harry followed Ginny around the yarn shop carrying the skeins she'd selected for different family members. Occasionally she asked Harry's opinion which hue would be best for someone. It was amazing to him as he looked around the shop that so many options would be necessary as far as yarn was concerned.

"Harry, what color should I get for your socks?" Ginny asked holding a skein of a warm shade of red and another skein of a deep green.

"They both look nice," Harry said, "Why did you pick those particular colors?"

"This reminds me of Gryffindor Red and this green is the same color as your eyes," Ginny said as her eyes flashed to his, "You have the most beautiful green eyes."

"Maybe the green then" Harry said softly, "Are you going to make yourself a pair too?"

"Maybe," Ginny mused, "If I don't get tired of knitting by then."

"How about I pick out yarn for your pair," Harry suggested.

"Okay," Ginny said.

As Ginny picked out yarn for the rest of the family Harry scoured the overwhelming selection of yarn and eventually narrowed it down to two that in some way reminded him of her. One was a fiery mix of reds, oranges and golds. It was called sunset and it reminded Harry of Ginny's hair. The other was a wild pastel mix of colors that made Harry think of her flowery scent; appropriately it was called summer garden.

When Harry found Ginny he handed her the two skeins. She considered them briefly before asking, "Why these?"

"This one," Harry said point to the fiery skein, "Is like your hair. This one," he said pointing to the other, "reminds me of how you smell."

"How do I smell?" Ginny asked with a smirk.

"Flowery," Harry said, "Have you ever smelled amortentia?"

"The love potion?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Harry said, "Professor Slughorn had a big cauldron full of it on my first day of potions, sixth year. He told us that it smells different to each of us based on what attracts us. To me it smelled like treacle tart, broomstick wood and your flowery smell."

"Is that when you realized you wanted to be with me?" Ginny asked.

"No," Harry confessed, "I was a bit thick headed when it came to you. I knew the smell was familiar but I couldn't place it besides it being something I smelled at the Burrow."

"So when did you figure it out?" Ginny asked.

"When Ron and I caught you and Dean making out after Quidditch practice that time," Harry said, "I wanted to rip his head off. I tried to convince myself that it was just because you were Ron's sister and like a sister to me, but it wasn't."

"You think of me like a sister?" Ginny demanded.

"When we were younger I did, but no, not for a long time," Harry said.

"Good, otherwise I'd have to do some very un-sisterly things to you," Ginny said.

Harry's heart skipped a beat thinking of some un-sisterly things she could engage him in. Shaking the thoughts out of his head he said, "Have you got all the yarn you need?"

"Yeah, let's get going," Ginny said heading to the register.

When they arrived back at The Burrow they found Ron and Hermione at the kitchen table with piles of paper surrounding them. "Isn't it a little early for homework, Hermione?" Harry teased.

"This isn't homework, I'm working on arrangements to go to Australia to find my parents," Hermione explained.

"Any idea when you're going?" Ginny asked.

"Ron and I are going to be leaving on Sunday morning too," Hermione said.

"Ron's going too?" Harry asked.

"I'm not about to let her go half way around the planet on her own," Ron huffed. Hermione raised an eyebrow in response to Ron's not 'letting' her go alone but didn't say anything.

"That means I'm going to be the only one home come Sunday," Ginny said miserably.

"George and Percy will still be here," Ron offered.

"No they won't," Hermione said, "Weren't you listening at breakfast this morning. Percy has been doing the book keeping and he's convinced George to start working on reopening. They are going to move into the apartment above the shop and try to reopen for the back to school rush."

Harry put a comforting arm around Ginny and said, "I'll only be gone for a week, maybe even less."

"A whole week with just Mum and Dad," Ginny said, "It'll be like when I was 10 and everyone else was either away at school or off living their own lives. Except worse, I'll be worrying about all three of you."

"You could come with Hermione and me," Ron offered, "We could use the extra help in Australia."

"No, I can't," Ginny said, "I need to be here when Harry gets back or if Kingsley sends word that something horrible…" She trailed off, unable to finish.

"Maybe you can help George and Percy at the shop to fill up some of your time," Hermione suggested.

"Maybe I should contact Kingsley and let him know I can't go on this case. I'll tell him that it's too early and I need more time before starting," Harry said.

"No," Ginny said, "If they are trying to catch death eaters they need you; you have insight that no one else does, you have to go. I will be fine; I just need to pull myself together."

Ginny muttered something at that point and left the room quickly. Realizing that she needed some time to herself Harry pulled out a chair and settled at the table with Ron and Hermione.

"Is it selfish that I want to go be an Auror?" Harry asked, "She is trying to be supportive but I know that it is kind of killing her. I wish I didn't feel so strongly about being out there chasing death eaters, I can't help it, I have to go."

"It's part of who you are," Ron said, "Everything about your life lead you to this career."

Hermione added, "Ginny knows that this is who you are and I think if you decided to back down from doing this it would change who you are for her. Part of why you are irresistible to her is the danger and adventure that you gravitate toward. She hates that you have to put yourself in danger but loves this heroic side of you."

"So how do I make her feel better," Harry asked, "I'm just completely at a loss."

"I don't know that you can," Ron said, 'She is going to worry, no matter what. She will adjust to letting you go out on missions she just needs some time and to see that you'll come home safely."

"The best thing you can do is to come home in one unscathed piece from this first mission," Hermione said.

"No pressure there," Harry snorted. Changing the subject he asked, "How are you getting to Australia? Apparition?"

"Airplane," Ron said nervously, "Apparition is out of the question, Australia is too far."

"What about portkey?" Harry asked.

"I asked Kingsley about arranging a portkey but there is a lot of paperwork involved especially to travel so far; I couldn't go until late August at the earliest," Hermione said, "I might need more time than that to sort things out with my parents. So, we'll travel like muggles."

"Do you know where in Australia your parents are?" Harry asked.

"Sydney," Hermione said, "When I put the charm on them I planted the idea of Sydney specifically in their minds. I had originally considered a small rural town but if anyone was looking for them they might be harder to find in a bigger city."

"Makes sense," Harry agreed.

Hermione and Ron went back to their work. Harry sighed and decided that he best start packing his bag for Sunday morning, tomorrow would be busy with the funerals. Up in the attic he pulled out his school bag. It looked worn and dirty from the past year. He couldn't do anything about it being worn but with his wand he performed a scourgify spell to remove the worst of the filth. Opening the bag he pulled out the invisibility cloak which he hadn't used since the battle and the mokeskin pouch. He emptied the mokeskin pouch onto the bed looking at the items remaining inside it and was amazed at how each had been placed in the pouch as a merely sentimental item, but each had come to play an important role. The Marauder's Map helped him during the battle, the mirror shard had brought them help in the Malfoy's cellar, the snitch had helped him to face death with the resurrection stone and the letter his mother had written to Siruis along with the partial photo had given comfort and a reminder of what he was fighting for. Carefully he set each into bottom corner of Percy's old school trunk. He wouldn't have use of any of them on his mission. He wished he had a picture of himself and Ginny together to put in the pouch and take with him. Setting the pouch aside he started filling the bag with clothing for the next week. He found some parchment, ink and a few quills and tucked those into the bag as well.

"Hey," Ginny said from the doorway, "Sorry I ran off before, I needed a minute."

"That's okay," Harry said, "I know this is hard on you."

"It is, but that doesn't mean that I think you shouldn't go," Ginny said. She approached and sat down across from him on Ron's bed, "I brought you something to take with you." She handed him a photo of the two of them, "Colin gave this and several others to me last year. I think he could tell how much I was missing you."

Harry took the photograph and studied it. It had been taken during his sixth year, just after they'd started dating. The two of them were sitting together at a table in the common room studying. They were facing each other and looking at each other in a way that suggested that they were talking about anything but their studies. Ginny's hand was on the table and as the photograph moved Harry put his hand over hers. They looked happy. "Thanks," Harry said, "Can I see the rest?"

"I thought you might ask," Ginny said as she handed him an envelope.

Harry took out the photos and flipped through them. Mostly they were pictures of himself but there were two others of them together. One was taken at the Quidditch pitch during a practice session. In the picture Harry appeared to be lecturing the team, Ginny stood to his right watching him with a small smile on her face. The second was a picture of them walking hand in hand across the Hogwart's grounds; both looked happy and occasionally Harry leaned to kiss her on the cheek.

Harry wanted all three pictures of them together, not just the one. Deciding to try something he'd seen Hermione do once he pulled out his wand and tapped the Quidditch picture and said, 'Geminio.' An exact copy of the picture appeared on top of the first. He repeated the spell on the other two pictures then handed the originals back to Ginny.

"Where did you learn that," Ginny asked in amazement.

"Hermione," he replied with a smirk.

"Of course," Ginny said.

"Thank you," Harry said, "You read my mind. I was packing for Sunday and wishing I had some picture of us to take with me."

"I had another idea," Ginny said, "Remember the fake galleons from the DA? I know we can't write each other letters while you are gone but we could send each other short messages using fake galleons and the protean charm."

"That's a good idea," Harry agreed, "But with the galleons we are limited to changing the serial number. We'd have to work out a code. Let's see if we can find something that we can use actual words with."

"Let's go look in Dad's shed. He has loads of useless muggle stuff, I bet we could find two of something to try," Ginny said excitedly.

Forty-five minutes later they were still pawing through boxes of rubbish and Harry was giving up hope of finding something suitable. "What about these?" Ginny asked, "I'm not even sure what they are."

Harry took two sets of dog tags on chains and grinned, "These are perfect. They are called dog tags. People in the army wear them as identification. They will work great because there are already letters on them. We can just manipulate what it says."

"Let's test them," Ginny said exuberantly. With her wand she worked the protean charm on her set of dog tags and Harry felt his set grow hot in his hand.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley loves Harry James Potter," Harry read from his dog tag with a smirk.

"It works!" Ginny grinned, "Send me one back." Harry thought for a moment before changing what the dog tag said and casting the charm. "And he loves her too," Ginny read when the dog tags became hot. Ginny threw her arms around his neck and said, "I'm going to have a much easier time with you going if I know I can get and receive some form of messages from you."

"I'm glad," Harry said, "I was starting to have real doubts about going."

"You know I never would have stopped you from going," Ginny said. "I might be obsessively concerned but I wouldn't stand in your way. You were meant to do this."

"You support my decision to do this then?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Ginny said, "I love you and more than anything I want you to be happy."

"All I need to be happy is you, Ginny," Harry said softly.

"Maybe for now, but if you don't have a purpose you will not be fully satisfied," Ginny said wisely, "I would never presume that I'd be enough to make you forget what you see as your purpose in life."

"You're amazing," Harry said, "You know that?"

"I try," Ginny said coyly.

The next half an hour was lost in the shed where Ginny sat atop a work table and Harry stood between her thighs kissing her and letting his hands wander beneath her tank top. For the first time in a long time they weren't interrupted and finally Ginny pushed him away and said, "Maybe we shouldn't push things anymore today. We're bound to be discovered here eventually."

Harry nodded, unable to speak momentarily. When he'd regained himself he said, "I thought I'd bring a book with me, any suggestions?"

Together they went back into the house and Ginny showed him to the large bookcases in the sitting room. Harry browsed the titles looking for something that caught his attention. "Mum has a lot of muggle books up in the attic too," Ginny offered, "If nothing there interested you."

"Why are the muggle books up in the attic?" Harry asked.

"Most of them would probably be considered smutty, they are muggle romance novels," Ginny said.

"And you think I'd be interested in reading muggle romance novels because…." Harry prompted.

"I don't, just offering you some more options," Ginny said with a smirk.

At that moment Molly called Ginny to come help with dinner. She grimaced at Harry and left him to look through the books.

The next morning was busy with everyone at the Burrow getting showered and dressed for the funeral. Once everyone was ready the entire group apparated to the front yard of Andromeda's house. From there they walked to the small church down the road. Most of the family entered the crowded church to find seats. Harry, Ron, George and Percy who had all been students of Remus's, along with Neville and Seamus had been asked to act as pallbearers for Remus so they waited outside. Fellow Aurors would carry Nymphadora's casket. When the signal was given Remus's and then Nymphadora's caskets were carried to the front of the small church. Seats had been reserved at the front of the church for the pallbearers.

As the minister spoke Harry watched his godson in Andromeda's arms and vowed that as Teddy grew he would tell him everything he knew about his parents. He didn't want Teddy to have to go to Hogwart's one day and find out things about his parents the way he had, at random, from other people. He wanted Teddy to know who he was and where he came from. Tonks and Remus had been amazing people and it was unfair that he should grow up without them. Harry also thought about how Remus had been the best defense against the dark arts teacher he'd ever had and how unfair it was that his condition had kept him from teaching. Remus had taught him how to produce a patronus when he was in just his third year a teacher that good shouldn't be taken away from students who could benefit so much from his teaching. Harry thought also about Tonks and what a talented Auror she was. She was so vivacious and full of life and character…. there wouldn't have been a more fun person to have as a mother. It stuck him that he was following in her footsteps in becoming an Auror. Had she survived they might have worked together.

When the minister opened the floor for anyone who'd like to say anything many of Tonk's fellow Aurors told stories about Tonks and praised her talents in their field. When there was an opening Harry stood to talk about Remus. "Remus was one of the best teacher's I had at Hogwarts. He taught me how to produce a patronus when I was just 13 years old. I am sorry that so few students had the benefit of having him as their teacher. I will miss his wisdom and his guidance. Remus was also one of my father's best friends and therefore a powerful influence in my life. May he rest in peace." Harry returned to his seat without saying anything about Tonk's. The things he could think of to say about her would pale in comparison to the glowing accolades her fellow Auror's had to say.

The funeral concluded with a graveside burial like the other two funerals he had recently been too. Remus and Tonks were buried in the little cemetery behind the church, right down the road from her mother's house. Harry watched Baby Teddy and just hoped that someday he would understand how wonderful his parents had been and what it was that they'd given up their lives for. He also hoped that his father, Sirius and Remus were having a happy reunion on the other side of the veil.

After the funeral people gathered at Andromeda's house for food and drinks. Everyone shared more stories about Remus and Tonks'. They would be sorely missed. Harry took this opportunity to spend more time with Teddy. Andromeda was busy being the hostess so Harry gave him his bottle and rocked him to sleep up in his nursery.

"Teddy, your Dad was an amazing guy and someday I'll teach you all the great things he taught me. My Dad and your Dad were best friends and someday I'll have to tell you about all their adventures when they were at Hogwarts. Hogwart's is our school and you'll go there someday too. I loved going to Hogwart's and I'm sure you will too," Harry said. He knew he was rambling and Teddy wasn't even awake to listen to him, but somehow it was making him feel better.

"Harry?" Andromeda said as the came down the hall.

"He's asleep," Harry whispered.

"Do you want me to put him into his crib?" Andromeda asked.

"Let me hold him for just a bit more," Harry said, "I have a mission to go away on and I won't get to see him for a little while. But I want to see him when I get back and lots before I go back to school."

"You are going to be a wonderful godfather, Harry," Andromeda said beaming at him, "It is nice to know that he will have a connection to his father through you. You know you were Remus' favorite student. He talked about you all the time."

"Thank you," Harry said with a lump in this throat, "I just want Teddy to have what I didn't growing up. I want him to know about his parents and have a godfather to be there for him. He deserves that."

"Yes he does," Andromeda said, "I am glad to know that you'll be around to provide that even if something happens to me."

"Are you unwell?" Harry asked in horror.

"No, no," Andromeda assured him, "But things happen."

"Maybe sometime if you need a break I could take Teddy for a day or two," Harry said, "If that would be okay with you."

"That would be wonderful," Andromeda said, "Perhaps after you return from your mission you could take him for a night. I will talk to Molly about it."

"That would be great," Harry said. He stroked the downy turquoise hair on his godson's head and added, "Won't it Teddy?" Harry bid Teddy good-bye and handed him off to Andromeda who placed him in his crib to sleep.

When they returned to the Burrow it was late afternoon. Mrs. Weasley set about getting dinner ready. Harry went up to the attic and as he changed out of his dress robes he realized for the first time since he was eleven years old he was setting out an a different adventure than Ron and Hermione. He always knew the day would come when it was not the three of them but he hadn't realized how bittersweet it would be. He was ready to move forward on his own path but it felt odd not to have Ron and Hermione along for the ride. Tomorrow they would be leaving too, off to Australia with out Harry. It was the end of an era. While he wanted to spend the rest of his evening with Ginny, Harry felt compelled to seek out Ron and Hermione first. He found them in the sitting room packing Hermione's beaded bag.

"Hey," Harry said as he settled himself on the loveseat.

"Hi Harry," Hermione said, "You all packed for tomorrow."

"Yep, I think so," Harry said, "You guys?"

"Yeah," Ron said, "I think we've packed just about everything we own between the two of us."

"One can never be too prepared," Hermione said loftily.

"You guys are my best friends," Harry said. Ron and Hermione looked up from what they were doing and gave Harry a slightly puzzled look. Harry continued, "The three of us have been on every adventure together since we were eleven. Tomorrow I will go to the Ministry to start my career as an Auror and you are going to Australia. It made me a little sad to realize that things are changing and our time as the three amigos is past. We will always be friends but it won't be quite the same. Thank you both for always being there for me."

Hermione snorted in an attempt to mask a sob, "Oh Harry, you are our best friend too. I can't believe you're going to be an Auror…"

Ron rolled his eyes from where he stood behind Hermione and said, "Of course we'll be friends forever."

Hermione flung one arm around Harry and one arm around Ron and pulled them into a hug saying, "Best Friends, forever."

George chose that moment to pop his head into the sitting room from the kitchen and say, "If your love fest is over, dinner is ready."

Blushing the three pulled apart and Hermione wiped her eyes. While they would be friends forever, they were the three amigos, no more.

Thanks for reading!! Please review!


	10. Harry's First Mission

Harry had been at the Ministry for close to two hours. Kingsley had asked him to arrive at six in the morning not because his mission was to begin at six but as Harry discovered there were a lot of small details to take care of before becoming an Auror. Harry had filled out copious amounts of paperwork including medical records, a direct deposit form, an in case of emergency form and a will, in the event of his death. Kingsley had given Harry a crash course of rules and protocol of the Auror Department; luckily he'd also been provided with manuals on both so he could familiarize himself further when he had down time. Finally Kingsley had arranged for him to finally take his apparition test before meeting with Reed Axelrod about the mission at eight. Wilkie Twycross, the same wizard who had instructed him during his sixth year in apparition had given him his test, which he passed easily. Currently he was slumped in a plush armchair in Kingsley's office waiting for Kingsley and Reed to fetch him. As he waited he thought back to his good-bye with Ginny early this morning.

_At five in the morning the alarm clock sounded. Harry quickly turned it off as not to wake Ginny, whose bed he was currently sleeping in. He had gone to sleep up in the attic but he was restless and had eventually gone down to the kitchen for some water. As he passed Ginny's landing on his way back up to the attic her door swung open and she pulled him in by the arm. "I can't sleep," She'd said, "Come lie with me for a bit." Harry agreed but set an alarm as not to oversleep. They had talked quietly and kissed a little before both falling asleep, apparently being together was enough to cure them both of their restlessness. Carefully untangling himself from the sheets Harry returned to the attic to fetch his clothes before taking a shower. As he dressed after his shower he slid the chain with the dog tags over his neck before pulling his shirt on over them, they rested just beside his heart. He made sure he had everything packed in his school bag before leaving it by the fireplace down in the kitchen. He made himself some toast and poured himself some pumpkin juice. He ate quickly before looking at his watch. He had fifteen minutes to say good-bye to Ginny. He'd said his good-byes to everyone else last night before heading up to bed. Ron and Hermione weren't even up yet, they weren't due to the airport until ten. Harry rinsed his glass before heading back up to her room. Carefully he slid back onto the bed beside her and instantly her arm draped over him, pulling herself closer. He watched her sleep, wishing he didn't have to say good-bye. He kissed her lightly on the lips and slowly her eyes fluttered open. Understanding immediately why he was waking her this way her eyes glittered with tears. "Don't cry," he whispered, "I'll be back before you know it." She nodded, biting her lip before crushing herself to him. Still warm from sleep her lips felt hot on his and her tongue penetrated his mouth urgently. Harry pulled her on top of him and ran his hands over her curves; her hips, her bottom and finally her breasts, which he could feel, were bare beneath the thin cotton nightgown he was touching her through. He stiffened instantly and stifled a moan into her neck. She was aware of his reaction and moved a hand between them to touch him through his jeans. Harry groaned audibly this time, caught off guard, Ginny had never touched him like that before. Ginny chuckled quietly before returning her mouth to his. Their fifteen minutes passed all too quickly before Harry had to go. "I love you, Ginny," Harry whispered as he tucked her back into her bed. He didn't want her to watch him disappear into the fireplace. "I love you too," She whispered back, "Be safe." He hugged and kissed her once more before whispering, "Bye," and returning to the kitchen._

"Harry," a jovial voice boomed, rousing him from his recollections, "Nice to finally meet you. I'm Reed Axelrod," said a wiry looking man with bronze colored hair.

Harry stood and shook Reed's hand, "Nice to meet you as well."

"I have heard so much about you from Kingsley and I'm looking forward to having you on our team," Reed said, "I will warn you that it is most irregular for someone of your age to become an Auror. No doubt you know that NEWTS and Auror training are typically required but considering that you are responsible for the defeat for Voldemort we are making an exception. In fact from the things Kingsley's told me, you might be able to teach the Auror department a thing or two."

Harry blushed and managed, "Ah…thanks,"

"Why don't we all take a seat and Reed can explain the mission," Kingsley suggested.

Harry moved into one of two straight-backed wooden chairs that sat in front of Kingsley's desk. Reed took the other and opened the file he carried with him. "We have pinpointed the location of Cerbus Carroll and our mission is to capture him for questioning and imprisonment in Azkaban."

"Who is Cerbus Carroll?" Harry asked, somewhat surprised that he hadn't heard of him.

"Cerbus is not a death eater but sympathetic to them. He is a pure blood wizard of Greek descent who supports wizard supremacy and outlaw of muggle-born wizards. As he isn't a death eater he wasn't involved in the atrocities that Voldemort conducted but since the war has ended he's been helping known death eaters who survived the battle to escape and go into hiding to evade capture. He has become something of a rallying point for Voldemort supporters," Reed explained.

"So where is Cerbus?" Harry asked.

"Greece," Reed replied, "Where else? We have a team in place watching his every move. We are hoping to discover where he is hiding death eaters before we capture him, but he gives nothing away. You are going to be part of the team who moves in for the capture. There are six of you on the team; you will be departing for Greece via portkey in two hours time."

"What's happening for the next two hours?" Harry asked.

"I would like to spend some time with you interviewing you about your dealings with Voldemort and death eaters over the last seven years," Reed said, "Additionally I would like for you to meet with each of your team members and get to know them a bit before you all head out."

"Sounds good," Harry said, "Would you mind if I used the bathroom first?"

"Not at all," Reed said, "I'll wait here for you."

Harry didn't really have to use the bathroom, he mostly wanted an excuse to send Ginny a little message he knew it would make her feel better the more often he managed to send her little messages. He locked himself into a stall before pulling the dog tags from beneath his shirt. With his wand he manipulated the letters to read _'Gin, Leaving Ministry for mission at ten. Miss you already. Will be re-living this morning all week. Love you, Harry.'_ He cast the protean charm on the tags and tucked them back under his shirt.

In Reed's office Harry took a seat in front of the desk. Reed settled behind the desk and prepared to take notes about what Harry was telling him. "So Harry, tell me about your experiences with Voldemort and the death eaters."

"Any particular experiences?" Harry asked, "I've had a lot of run ins with him."

"Just start from the beginning," Reed suggested.

"Like with my parents deaths or when I saved the Sorcerer's Stone from him when I was eleven?" Harry asked.

"Let's start with when you were eleven and had a more active role in your confrontations," Reed said.

"Well, during my first year at Hogwarts when I was eleven there was this teacher called Professor Quirrell who was sharing his body with Voldemort. You see Quirrell met Voldemort in an Albanian forest and Voldemort convinced him to share his body until he was strong enough to get his own body back. Quirrell was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. On my first night at Hogwarts I experienced pain in my scar," Harry said, lifting his hair to reveal the lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead, "No one had any idea at that point that Voldemort was within the castle. I came to learn eventually that my scar bothered me due to my connection to Voldemort, when he was angered or ecstatic and he had less control over his emotions I would feel it in my scar."

"Do you know why you had this connection to Voldemort?" Reed asked, fascinated.

"Voldemort created seven horcruxes; do you know what those are?" Harry asked. When Reed nodded Harry continued, "Voldemort was going to create his final horcrux when he killed my parents and I. My mother's love protected me and the spell backfired destroying Voldemort and making me the final horcrux instead."

"You were the seventh horcrux," Reed asked sounding simultaneously fascinated and horrified, "What were the others?"

"The diadem of Ravenclaw, the cup of Hufflepuff, Slythern's locket, a ring that belonged to his grandfather, a journal kept by his sixteen year old self and his snake Nagini were the other six horcruxes," Harry said.

"Do you think he had plans to make more?" Reed asked.

"I'm not sure but Dumbledore told me that Voldemort thought seven to be the most powerfully magical number," Harry said, "So maybe not."

"Okay," Reed said, "Now getting back to the Sorcerer's Stone…"

'Right, in the summer before my first year someone tried to steal the Sorcerer's Stone from Gringotts but not before it had been moved to Hogwarts for greater protection. All year Quirrell tried to get past the defenses guarding the stone. Voldemort wanted the stone to regain his body and have immortal life. My friends and I figured out what was being hidden but we thought it was Snape and not Quirrell who was after it," Harry continued.

For slighter over an hour Harry shared his experiences with Voldemort. Reed was alternately fascinated and impressed with Harry's stories. At the end of an hour Harry had only made it through his first three years of school. The whole time Harry paused briefly only once when the dog tags around his neck grew hot against his chest.

"We'll have to meet again soon so you can tell me more," Reed said, "Right now I would like to introduce you to the team of Aurors you'll be working with on this mission."

"Okay," Harry said nervously.

Reed led Harry into a room down the hall which inside resembled a locker room. There was a large locker for each Auror, their name in gold above each. Harry spotted his locker right away and dropped his bag in front of it. As he turned back around he saw the five other Aurors entering the room behind him. He looked at them curiously and they mirrored him.

"This is Harry Potter, our department's newest Auror, as you all know his first assignment is with all of you in Greece," Reed said, "Harry this is Linus Mercer, Fletcher Oskins, Noah Irvine, Tilly Allen and Katherine Hunt," Reed said as he pointed to each in turn. They all took turns shaking his hand; Linus and Katherine were friendly, Tilly seemed curious, Noah was unimpressed and Fletcher seemed indifferent. "Why don't you all take a little time to get to know one another? I'll be back in a half hour to do the mission briefing before you go."

Reed left the room and each of the six settled on the benches in front of their locker.

"Is it true what they say about you, Potter?" Noah asked.

"I don't know," Harry said, "What is it they're saying now?"

"Reed told us that you're seventeen, still in school and haven't done any Auror training, yet they've made you an Auror," Noah said.

"Yes, that is all true," Harry confirmed, "I'll be eighteen next month," he added somewhat desperately.

Noah made a dismissive sound before saying, "Great, they're letting a kid do a grown-up's job. We'll be lucky if he doesn't get us all killed."

"But he's Harry bleeding Potter," Linus said with Irish accent, "He defeated Voldemort, he probably knows more about how to properly do this job than we did after finishing Auror training."

"Maybe he knows more than you did after finishing training," Noah said excluding himself from Linus' statement," I don't want to work with some kid who doesn't have the qualifications to be here."

"I reckon being the person who single-handedly finished off Voldemort earned him his spot whether he is qualified or not," Katherine said, "I think we should wait to judge him until after this first mission."

The group was silent for a minute, seemingly taking Katherine's suggestion to heart. Harry knew that there would be at least one person who doubted his place within the department; it didn't bother him. Harry decided to try to get to know his fellow Aurors; after all, he'd be stuck with them for the next week. "So, how long have you all been Aurors?" Slowly this got everyone talking. By the time Reed returned to do the briefing Harry knew where everyone was from and how long they'd been Aurors and what missions they'd been on previously. Everyone besides Noah seemed to be warming up to Harry.

"The portkey will take you to the base house in Athens. The six of you will split into two teams; Fletcher, Katherine and Harry are team one; Linus, Noah and Tilly are team two. Each team will rotate with twelve hour shifts. The team already in place will update you on the target's activities and routines. We aim to capture him, question him about where he is hiding the death eaters and have him transported back to Azkaban. We have to handle this mission with extreme delicacy, should he realize that we are onto him he could alert the death eaters he is hiding and we would lose the lead we currently have. Please keep very detailed notes in your field journals, you never know what tiny scrap of information could come in handy later on," Reed said. "You have fifteen minutes until the portkey departs; make sure you're all ready."

Harry turned on his bench to face his locker as the other Aurors checked the contents of their bags or went for one last bathroom break before departure. Harry pulled the dog tags from under his shirt and read, _"Harry, Thanks for the update. Good luck on your mission and be safe. This morning WAS pretty amazing. Love you, Ginny." _Smiling he returned the tags to beneath his shirt.

For the first time ever after using a portkey Harry did not end up on his rear end. He stumbled on the landing, but at least remained upright. He noticed Noah stumble as well and felt better immediately. At the base house each was assigned a bed before the surveillance team briefed them. They showed them hundreds of pictures of the Target moving through out Athens. They gave detailed reports of his activities and routines. They posed possible theories and outlined questions that still lacked answers. The biggest question was still, where was he hiding the death eaters. The second was, where did Cerbus go once a week when they failed to see even a glimpse of him all day long. Surely he was visiting the death eaters or bringing them supplies, but where did he go? When the new arrivals were as up to date as it was possible to be team one was sent out to track the target and gather any further clues they could about where he might be hiding the death eaters.

Harry, Katherine and Fletcher was team one, they grabbed their gear and prepared to head out. Each performed a disillusionment charm on another before they stepped out into the sultry Athens air. The three of them split up, each covering one of the places that Cerbus usually was at this time of the day. Harry, though basically invisible due to the disillusionment charm, was hiding behind a large potted plant watching a coffee kiosk that Cerbus frequented. He was preparing to have a long afternoon of simply watching for Cerbus when to his immense surprise he saw the target step up to the cart and place his order. A jolt of excitement ran through Harry's veins, what luck to stumble upon Cerbus so quickly. He sent word with his patronus to Katherine and Fletcher that he had the target in his sights. As Cerbus received his coffee and took off down the street Harry followed in pursuit.

When Cerbus walked down a pier at the shore and boarded a ferry, Harry followed. He didn't understand why a wizard wouldn't just apparate to where they needed to go but assumed that Cerbus must have a reason. Harry soon discovered that this ferry made stops at many of the small islands surrounding the mainland of Greece and this ferry carted people between them. Harry stayed on the opposite side of the ferry from Cerbus but kept a close eye on him, not wanting to miss him disembarking onto one of the islands. Harry made notes in his field journal and took a few photographs of the target as they traveled all while keeping Katherine and Fletcher informed of his position via patronus. Harry realized that somehow he had managed what the team that had already been in place had failed at. Quite by accident he had spotted Cerbus just before he did his disappearing act for the day.

Cerbus stayed on the ferry until it stopped at the island of Crete. The reason that he hadn't simply apparated to Crete became obvious as Cerbus helped a crew member of the ferry unload several large crates onto the dock. It would be near impossible to apparate without being seen if you were also transporting so many large crates. Harry followed him off the dock and into a small pub. At the pub he had a drink while discussing something with the barman. When Cerbus had finished his drink the barman handed Cerbus something, it looked like a key, but Harry was not close enough to be sure. Harry followed Cerbus back down to the dock where he levitated the crates into a wooden boat. They item the barman had given him was a key, which Cerbus used to unlock the boat from the dock. Harry watched from the dock as the boat made its way to a much smaller island. Determined to find out what Cerbus was up to he tried to apparate to the small island. When nothing happened Harry realized that barriers had been constructed as to not let anyone apparate onto the island. Deciding it wouldn't be safe to follow Cerbus in another boat Harry headed back toward the pub. Instead of going into the pub Harry went into the market next door and asked the woman behind the counter, "What is that island over there?"

The woman squinted out the island then pointed to the island Harry had watched Cerbus go to, when he nodded she said, "Spinalonga."

Harry recognized the name but couldn't immediately place where from. Finally he recalled from his days of muggle school that Spinalonga was a leper colony. It was where people who had been diagnosed with leprosy were sent to live as not to contaminate other people. Through out the world there were a handful of places like Spinaglonga that lepers went to live. A cure for leprosy had been discovered in the 1950's and eventually the island was abandoned. It would be the perfect place to hide death eaters, Harry thought. Somewhere with a past that would prevent outsiders from wanting to visit. Harry wandered back to the dock and peered at the small island in the distance. He could not see that Cerbus was returning and without being able to apparate onto the island it would not be safe to attempt to follow.

Harry apparated instead back to the base house. He sent his patronus to Katherine and Fletcher, requesting that they return to the base immediately. When everyone was assembled Harry explained how he had spotted Cerbus, followed him to Crete and his theory about Spinalonga. Most agreed with Harry's theory and immediately Reed was contacted to be made aware of the progress on the case. The second team of Noah, Tilly and Linus were sent to Crete to keep an eye on things while Harry prepared to present his findings to Reed and Kingsley when they arrived later in the evening.

Several hours later Harry had explained every single minute detail of the things that had happened earlier in the day with Cerbus to Reed and Kingsley. They like his theory and felt sure that he was right. Currently the three of them plus Katherine and Fletcher were huddled around the kitchen table strategizing about how to capture both Cerbus and the death eaters that were more than likely hidden on the island. The problem was trying to come up with a plan that wouldn't give them away if the plan itself failed. If things didn't go perfectly and they were revealed to be behind it Cerbus and the death eaters would likely flee and that was not something that any of them wanted to see happen.

The best idea so far was for one of them to contact Cerbus as a death eater in need of hiding and then to actually meet up with Cerbus disguised as a death eater in order to gain admittance to the island. There were too many things that could go wrong with that plan though. Eventually Reed and Kingsley sent Harry, Katherine and Fletcher to bed so that in five more hours when the other team came back from watch they were ready to take over.

Harry lay in his bed unable to sleep; his mind was still spinning, trying to come up with possible plans to catch Cerbus and the death eaters he was hiding. He was pulled from his thoughts when the dog tags on his chest burned. Harry pulled them from under the covers and read, _"Harry, I haven't heard from you for over 18 hours. I know you are busy, but just let me know you're okay. I love you, Ginny."_

Harry quickly changed the message to read_, "Ginny, I am safe, no worries. We had a big break in the case today. I'm lying in bed trying to work out what to do next. Love you, Harry."_

A moment later the tags burnt again and he read, _"You're lying in bed, but you're not thinking about me?"_

"_I am now!"_ Harry sent back with a smirk. Indeed his mind had returned to the good-bye and he imagined how much further things might have gone if they'd had longer than fifteen minutes.

The tags burnt once more and Harry read, _"Me too. Sweet dreams, Harry. I miss you! Love, Ginny."_

The messages from Ginny had been the perfect distraction. His mind was occupied with vision of her rather than stretching to come up with a solution to the Cerbus problem. He fell asleep quickly after that, dreaming only of her.

**Author's Note:** Hi All!! I need reviews this time…I need to know how I did. I struggled with this chapter. I am so much better at writing the fluffy romantic stuff….I am hoping that the stuff about his mission lives up to expectations. I need suggestions…if you have them now is the time! I have an idea or two about how to resolve the mission…but they are feeling feeble at best. I'm starting to think that the next time Harry goes on a mission I will write about it from Ginny's POV.

Spinalonga is a real place and it really was a leper colony off the island of Crete. I read a book about it and as I was thinking about Harry's mission it came to my head and so I decided to use it.

Anyway – please, please please review and offer suggestions if you have them. Thanks!


	11. Success and All the Things That Entails

In the end the plan to capture Cerbus and any death eaters he had hidden on Spinalonga turned out to be quite basic. Now that they felt certain about where Cerbus was hiding the death eaters they felt safe in capturing him at their first opportunity. Once they had him in their custody they could use some of his hair with Polyjuice Potion to look like him and infiltrate the island to capture the death eaters hiding there.

On day four of the mission Harry was out on patrol with Katherine and Fletcher. Cerbus was proving difficult to capture. They needed to capture him in a less populated area when he was alone to avoid his capture being noticed, but since that first day neither condition was achieved simultaneously. Harry was watching the coffee kiosk again, waiting to tail Cerbus to a quieter area. He wanted badly to be the one who captured Cerbus. Partly he wanted to have more reason to wipe the look of doubt off Noah's face but he also desperately wanted to get back home to Ginny. Her messages via the dog tags hadn't indicated that anything was the matter but knowing that she was the only one home with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley made him regret the timing of this first mission. Ginny had felt alone and neglected last year, he could only imagine that being home alone now was bringing back some of those old feelings.

Harry stared at the coffee kiosk and willed Cerbus to appear. He had been uncomfortably crouched behind a large potted plant for the last two hours. The sun was beating down from overhead and Harry would return to the Burrow several shades darker than when he had left. Harry ran his hand over the rough stubble along his jaw line; he'd discovered early on that he'd forgotten his razor. Harry closed his eyes and rolled his neck, trying to alleviate some of the stiffness. His neck popped and for a moment he leaned his head back against the stucco wall behind him. When he opened his eyes again Cerbus had appeared and was waiting in a short line for coffee.

Excitement buzzed through him, finally, this was it. He quickly sent his patronus to his fellow Aurors alerting them that he had Cerbus in his sights and was prepared to give chase. Cerbus sipped his coffee lazily and idly wandered down a narrow side street. Harry followed, leaving nearly fifty feet of space between them. While he was invisible he didn't want any sounds to give him away. As he followed Harry cautiously scanned the street for people still within view. Harry followed him for a full five minutes wondering the entire time if Cerbus was onto them and leading Harry into a trap. When finally Harry spotted no one in immediate view he pointed his wand at Cerbus's back and nonverbally performed Petrificus Totalus. Cerbus dropped his coffee as his arms snapped to his sides and his legs snapped together. Harry ran the fifty yards between them and as soon as he had a hand around Cerbus's shoulder he disapparated for the base house.

Harry apparated into the sitting room and yelled for assistance. After casting a spell that would keep Cerbus from disapparating he unfroze him and said, 'Incarcerous,' binding him with ropes to a chair. His fellow aurors ran into the room and as they saw the target bound to a chair in their sitting room sprang to action. Reed and Kingsley apparated into the base house within an hour to assist with the questioning. They adminstered Veritaserum but it appeared to have no effect. More than likely Cerbus had been using a counteractive potion or had built up a resistance to the potion.

At first Cerbus said nothing. He met every question they threw at him with nothing more than a blazing hateful glare and utter silence. A large amount of Cerbus's hair was cut and collected for later use in Polyjuice Potion. For hours the questioning continued, but the results didn't change.

"Cerbus," Kingsley finally said, "Do you want to spend the rest of your miserable life in Azkaban?" Cerbus said nothing but shifted his gaze to Kingsley's face to show that he was listening. "We will consider a shortened sentence if you cooperate and answer our questions. If you continue to say nothing you can guarantee that we will throw you into Azkaban and lose the key to your cell."

"Who is financing the work you are doing on behalf of the death eaters?" Reed asked again.

Cerbus sat quiet for a moment, obviously contemplating his options. In Harry experience death eaters were basically selfish people who worked to protect themselves above all else so he was not surprised when Cerbus said, "The Malfoys."

Reed looked triumphant and began pelting Cerbus with all the questions he'd been trying to get him to answer for the last several hours. "How many death eaters are you hiding on Spinalonga?"

"Three death eaters and their families," Cerbus said.

"Have you relocated any off of Spinalonga yet?" Reed asked.

"No, these three were to be the first," Cerbus replied.

"Who are the death eaters?" Reed asked.

"Yaxley, Mulciber and Goyle," Cerbus listed.

"Where were you going to send them?" Reed asked.

"That hadn't been established yet," Cerbus said.

"What sorts of protection are on the island besides anit-apparition charms?" Reed asked.

"There are intruder alerts, anyone that enters the boundary of the island besides me will set off an alarm," Cerbus said.

"I assume questions have been arranged to discover if you are really you when you arrive," Reed said.

"Of course," Cerbus replied.

"And they are?" Reed asked, before adding, "And do not lie to me, we will know if we are lied to and we will make sure you stay in Azkaban until your dying day."

"My mother's middle name is Alastrina," Cerbus said, "And my favorite brand of Ouzo is Giannatsi."

"That is all?" Reed pressed.

"Yes," Cerbus whispered.

"Do you have any other information we should have?" Reed asked, "Keep in mind that we'll leave you in Azkaban forever if we discover you were holding out on us."

"Lucius Malfoy is supposed to be arriving to visit the occupants of the island in two days time," Cerbus confessed.

When Cerbus had run out of things to tell them he was left alone in the sitting room until the handlers arrived to escort him to Azkaban. Reed and Kingsley led a meeting in the dining room to strategize about infiltrating the island before Lucius arrived in two days.

Harry volunteered to be the one who transformed into Cerbus to infiltrate the island but Reed wanted Noah to do it. Noah might be the most cocky and self-assured of the group that Harry had arrived with, but it was with good reason. Noah had been an Auror longer than the rest of then, he had more cases under his belt and he had gotten nearly perfect scores at everything while in training. They could not afford for the mission to fail and as a new Auror with no training Harry was a liability they couldn't risk.

Harry and the other four team members would wait offshore in a boat and come ashore only when Noah had given the signal. At this time Noah should have already rounded up and immobilized the death eaters and their families. They would be coming ashore simply to gather evidence and bring the death eaters back to the base house.

The next evening Harry found himself along with Katherine, Linus, Tilly and Fletcher sitting aboard a large creaky rowboat just off the shore of Spinalonga. They had been waiting for over an hour for Noah's signal, but it didn't seem to be coming. Noah had gone ashore Spinalonga disguised as Cerbus late in the afternoon. Once he was ashore the others had followed in the boat. Within the first hour Noah should have sent the signal that he was ready for them. When an hour and a half had passed Harry insisted that something must have gone wrong and they needed to go in after Noah.

"That would go against protocol," Katherine told him sharply, "We need to contact Reed and tell him that the mission has failed."

"We're not allowed to go in after Noah simply because it was not part of the plan?" Harry asked.

"Exactly," Linus said.

"That is ridiculous," Harry nearly shouted, "He's our teammate, what if something has happened to him. We have to go in after him."

"We can't," Katherine insisted, "It could put the mission in further danger."

"I thought you said it had already failed," Harry reminded her, "So, what is the difference?" Harry stood and said, "If anyone wants to help me, you're welcome to." With that said he jumped out of the boat into the sea and began swimming toward the island. When he reached water shallow enough to stand in he pulled his invisibility cloak out and pulled it over his head and waded out of the water to shore. Making sure that no part of him was visible he walked further ashore. Cerbus had said that there were alarms that would sound when anyone but himself entered the island's boundaries, he had to make sure that they couldn't find him, even if they knew he was there.

Harry followed a rough dirt track from the shore inland. Eventually he arrived at what looked like the main street of a village. There appeared to be both abandoned houses and businesses along this main road. Harry remembered that the inhabitants of this island long ago had been forced to accept that they'd live out the remainder of their days here and they'd adapted as best they could. They'd built homes and opened businesses and an economy of sorts had boomed here. He wondered which of the buildings the death eaters were using while here. He glanced up and down the street a few times before noticing a larger, grander looking white house up on a hill at the end of the street. As soon as he laid eyes on it he knew that this was the house they would choose. He could see light in many of the windows, confirming what he suspected. Harry crept toward the house and carefully peered in one of the first floor windows. The room was empty besides Noah, still disguised as Cerbus, tied to a chair. Cautiously Harry slid open the window and climbed in. Noah appeared too distraught to have noticed. Harry moved until his mouth was right beside Noah's ear before whispering, "It's me, Harry."

Noah jumped slightly but managed to refrain from making any sort of noise, "Potter," Noah whispered, "I'm glad you're here. Cerbus lied, they asked me a question I didn't know the answer to. They are waiting for the Polyjuice Potion to wear off so they can see who I really am."

Harry made quick work of untying Noah from the chair and casting a disillusionment charm upon him. Rather than seeking out the death eaters within the house and possibly falling into another of their traps Harry and Noah backed into the far corner of the room where Noah had been tied to the chair and waited for the death eaters to return. When they did they would attack.

After a half an hour Yaxley appeared in the doorway and yelled, "He's gone!" This sent Goyle and Mulciber scurrying into the room after him. They stared at the chair and ropes, they studied the window and finally they yelled for the rest of the house's occupants. Yaxley had begun to detail plans to scour the house and island in search of whoever it was inpersonating Cerbus. Harry nonverbally closed the room's door and Noah cast a spell that had the same effects as Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. Harry and Noah then quickly began casting Incarcerous spells upon everyone in the room while they were impaired by the sudden darkness. When the darkness cleared everyone besides Harry and Noah were lying on the floor bound tightly with ropes.

"I'm going to go outside and send a patornus to Reed and Kingsley," Noah said, "Can you keep an eye on this lot?"

Harry nodded, he wondered if it would be worth them sending the signal to the rowboat on the sea or if their teammates would have already returned to the base house. Harry also wondered with a sinking heart if his inability to follow the rules would land him in trouble this time. Sure, what he had chosen to do was reckless but he couldn't just leave Noah behind knowing that he was most likely in trouble. Wouldn't the mission be a larger failure had they left one of their own to be tortured or killed at the hands of death eaters. Harry decided that if he ever held a position of authority in the Auror department that would be one of the first things to change; leave no man behind.

When Noah returned to the room he told Harry, "Reed and Kingsley will be here shortly and they are coming with our teammates." Harry nodded and Noah continued, "Potter, I'm sorry I underestimated you. It takes a lot of guts to disobey rules and risk your own neck for a teammate. I'm hoping that Reed and Kingsley don't go too hard on you. I'm certainly planning on backing you up. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Harry said, "I couldn't believe it when the others were just giving up and calling the mission a failure. How could they not even try to come and get you out safely?"

"You haven't spent a lot of time with the rule books yet have you?" Noah asked.

"No, but as you'll discover I tend to like to break the rules," Harry admitted.

"Maybe if Reed and Kingsley can see that the outcome today was still good despite some broken rules they'll change their minds," Noah said, "Thanks again," Noah held out a hand to Harry and Harry accepted it, shaking it with a grin.

Reed, Kingsley, the rest of their team as well as a dozen handlers arrived in Spinalonga twenty minutes later. The handlers got to work escorting the occupants of the house either to Azkaban or back to the ministry. The death eaters, Yaxley, Mulciber and Goyle were headed directly to Azkaban but their families would be taken to the ministry for questioning. It was possible that some of them would also end up in Azkaban, but the ministry had to determine their crimes, if any, first. Katherine, Linus, Fletcher and Tilly were sent into the house to collect evidence while Reed and Kingsley spoke with Harry and Noah.

"Harry," Kingsley said in an ominous tone, "Still a rule breaker at heart I see."

"Yes sir," Harry said quietly.

"Sir," Noah interrupted, "If I may…Harry saved my life tonight and because of him the mission was a success. I know that he broke the rules but sometimes the rules were meant to be broken, don't you think?"

"I agree," Kingsley said with a grin, "Harry has always had an unorthodox method of doing things and often it has paid off for him. Perhaps we will have to revisit this rule in the handbooks. Well done Harry."

"I'm not sure that I'm ready to rewrite the rules," Reed said, "But this time it did pay off. The two of you can help the others gather evidence. Tonight everyone can write up their final reports about the mission then everyone can portkey back to the ministry in the morning."

A smile spread across Harry's face at their words. It was a wonderful feeling that he'd saved the mission and Noah's life and hadn't gotten into trouble for breaking the rules. Even better though was the knowledge that he would get back to Ginny tomorrow, a day ahead of schedule. He missed her and couldn't wait to get back home to her.

It was still somewhat early in the evening when the team apparated back to the base house. Harry decided that before he set to work on his report he wanted to take care of a little shopping. He wanted to bring Ginny back a gift from Greece. He liked the idea of starting a tradition in which he brought her a gift from his travels, it might be one of the few fun parts of his dangerous job for her. He cleaned himself up a bit before pulling on his sneakers by the kitchen door.

"Heading out?" Noah asked from where he was seated at the kitchen table.

"Is that allowed?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm just curious," Noah said, "I'm a little too keyed up to write my report yet, care if I join you?"

"Sure," Harry said, surprised.

Together they left the house and walked in silence down the street.

"Where are we headed?" Noah asked curiously.

"There is a jewelry shop I noticed by the coffee kisok I watched all week. I want to buy my girlfriend a gift," Harry explained, "She has had a rough time with me going into this line of work and I want to show her how grateful I am for her support."

"Being who you are didn't she kind of expect this?" Noah asked.

"She did, but it doesn't keep her from worrying. She was at the Hogwart's battle too. One of her brother's was killed there; she has a healthy fear of what my job entails," Harry said, "And had she asked me not to become an Auror I probably would have very seriously considered it."

"She means that much to you, at seventeen?" Noah asked with a whistle.

"Yeah, well," Harry said somewhat bashfully, "She's the one."

"Wow, I'm nearly five years older than you and I haven't found the one yet," Noah said.

"I hope you do," Harry said, "She's amazing."

Noah decided not to accompany Harry into the jewelry store but instead visited the coffe kiosk and waited at one of the tables. It didn't take Harry long to find what he was looking for, he had been able to see it in his head all week. He chose a 14K gold Greek Key Meander necklace. It was distinctly Greek and the gold would look lovely on her. Harry paid for the necklace and slipped the box into his pocket. When he appeared back by the coffee kisok Noah waved him over to the table he sat at. He'd bought coffee and baklava for each of them.

"Get what you needed?" Noah asked.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"So, can I ask you a question?" Noah asked. When Harry nodded Noah continued, "What was it like to kill Voldemort?" Harry reminaed silent for long enough that Noah said, "You don't have to talk about it, I just couldn't resist asking."

"No, it's not like I won't or can't talk about it, I was just trying to find the words," Harry explained, "I wouldn't say that I killed him. In a way I guess I did but it was more like his own curse rebounded to kill him."

"What do you mean?" Noah asked.

"I just have to set this up a bit so you understand. Three of my friends were duelling Bellatrix Lestrange and two of my professors and Kingsley were duelling Voldemort while I was, er, indisposed. I don't want to go into that right now as it is very personal. After Bellatrix just missed killing one of my friends by an inch with the killing curse, my friend's mum waived the three girls back and duelled Bellatrix by herself. As soon as Voldemort saw Bellatrix get defeated by my friend's mum, he waived his wand and blasted back all three who were still duelling him. He then aimed his wand at my friend's mum and I knew I had to step back into the fight. After casting Protego to protect everyone from Voldemort, Voldemort and I started circling each other as everyone else created a ring around us. I talked to Voldemort as we circled and told him that his great plan had royally backfired on himself. He didn't know that the wand he was using had me as its master because I disarmed its previous master gaining its allegiance. As the sunrise burst through the Great Hall, he shrieked Avada Kedavra as I yelled Expelliarmus. Since I was its master, the wand Voldemort had couldn't kill me and instead of hitting me with the Killing Curse, rebounded about halfway between us and hit Voldemort who was disarmed because of my spell and couldn't dodge," Harry explained, "When I finally realized that he was fully dead and never coming back it was a tremendous relief. He has more or less been responsible for the course of my life since I was one year old."

"So now you're free to do what you want and you are still chasing death eaters?" Noah asked, "If I was you I think I'd want to be done with all of that."

"It is so engrained in me and it feels like it is my responsibility somehow," Harry said, "I can't just walk away from it."

Noah and Harry talked until they arrived back at the base house. They both needed to write their reports so that they were free to return home in the morning. Harry smiled as he settled himself on his bed, he prepared to write. He thought maybe he'd made a new friend tonight.

The next morning Harry let himself into the Burrow's kitchen quietly. It was only a quarter past seven in the morning. Thanks to the time difference he was arriving back before Ginny even got out of bed. He left his bag in the sitting room and silently ascended the stairs to Ginny's room. Quietly he climbed onto the bed with her. In sleep she slung an arm across his chest and pulled herself closer to him. It was as if her subconscious could sense his presence even in sleep. He studied her beautiful, peaceful face and waited for her to realize he was there with her. He allowed his eyes to drift shut, perhaps he'd get a bit more sleep himself. Ginny's hands pulled him closer and his eyes snapped open as her head found its way to his chest. Her beautiful brown eyes fluttered open and stared dazedly into his green ones before understanding sank in and she said, "You're back! Or are you a dream?"

Harry lowered his lips to hers and laid a scorching kiss on her that left her breathless. When he pulled away he said, "Can a dream do that?"

"Pinch me," Ginny demanded.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Pinch me, I have to know that I'm awake," Ginny said.

Harry wrapped an arm around her waist and pinched her bottom firmly before giving it a loving caress. Grinning as her eyes lit up and her lips moved quickly back toward his, he pulled her toward him. It felt so good to kiss her and hold her in his arms, how he had missed her. Their hands roamed each other's bodies, covering the same ground they had before he'd left. Harry massaged her naked breasts through her nightgown and she rubbed him through his jeans. He longed to slid his hands under her nightgown but knew that if he did there would be no turning back this time. It was too sweet to kiss, hold and touch her like this: he had missed her too much and he was far too tempted to take things further.

As he slowed his kisses and moved his hands to safer parts of her anatomy like her hips and her bottom she whimpered, "Why are you stopping?"

"If we keep going I won't be able to stop and I guarantee you we'd be caught by your mother when she goes down to make breakfast in a few minutes," Harry said, "Besides, I brought you a present."

"You did?" Ginny asked.

"I did," Harry said, "I decided that from now on I will bring you a present after every mission I have to go away on. Then maybe there will be one good part about my missions for you."

"The best part of any mission will always be having you back home when they are over," Ginny said.

"Okay, but it will make me feel good to bring you something," Harry said, "Like a thank you, for putting up with me and my dangerous job."

Ginny smiled and said, "Okay."

Harry handed her the jewelry box and said, "This is from Greece."

"You were in Greece?" Ginny asked, amazed.

"Yes, now open it," Harry said excitedly.

Ginny opened the box and gasped at the sight of it, "Harry, this is lovely. Thank you."

"Nothing could ever be as lovely as you," Harry said, "Let me help you put it on."

"Thank you," Ginny said giving him a chaste kiss. Harry leaned in for a deeper kiss but Ginny put a hand on his chest and said, "You need to shave, my face is stinging with whisker burn."

Harry laughed and said, "I'm sorry, I forgot that I looked like this. I didn't remember to pack my razor."

"I like how it looks," Ginny mused, "You look rather rugged and sexy, but it is painful to kiss that."

"Give me five minutes," Harry said as he jumped off the bed.

Ginny chuckled at his hurry and lie back on her bed waiting for him to return. It was so good to have him back home.

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and assured me that I was doing fine. I still insist that I'm better at writing the fluff that the more technial details. I hope that I wrapped up the mission sucessfully in everyone's opinion. I have several things on the schedule for their summer before returning to Hogwart's but if anyone would like to see anything in particular let me know…it may be something I haven't thought of. Please review!! Thanks!

If you want to see a picture of the necklace that Harry bought for ginny please see the link in my profile. Just copy and paste it into your browser and you can see it.

Someone figured out where I got the name Cerbus from….I shortened Cerberus down to Cerbus. Cerberus is the name of the three headed dog that guardes the gates to Hades in Greek methology. I thought the three headed dog part was rather appropriate.


	12. Talks about the Future

Harry was sprawled across the couch in the Weasley's sitting room trying to concentrate on the Auror handbooks Kingsley had given him. He had promised to study them so he'd know all the rules and protocol before breaking them on his next mission. Unfortunately the red head sitting across the room in a large squashy armchair was doing a better job of drawing his attention than the handbooks. Harry watched as Ginny sat knitting. She was working on a pair of silvery blue socks patterned with fleur de lis for Fleur. Apparently the pattern was complex because she kept muttering and scowling down at the sock currently on her needles. A hank of her fiery hair fell into her face and her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth. Harry smirked and turned his attention back to his book. As the only two people in the house besides Mr. and Mrs. Weasley it was much harder to sneak away and fool around than it had been when everyone was home. Harry had returned home from his mission early this morning and since breakfast Mrs. Weasley had caught them on three different occasions. They were trying to be good now, sitting in plain sight, working on their own projects to show Molly that they weren't constantly all over each other as she'd accused them upon their last run in with her. Ginny had been furious and told her Mother, "He's been away for nearly a week, what do you expect?"

"I expect the two of you to act respectfully and keep level heads about you. I know you are in love but that doesn't mean you can't keep your hands and lips to yourselves once in a while," Molly scolded.

Ginny smirked and muttered just loudly enough for Harry to hear, "She should be glad she caught us instead of Ron and Hermione they don't keep any of their body parts to themselves."

Harry was disgusted by the mental image her words produced, he shook his head as if to erase the image before asking, "Have you heard from Ron and Hermione since they left? Everything going okay?"

"They made it to Australia fine," Ginny said, "Ron was air sick most of the flight over but they survived. Last we heard they are still in Sydney trying to track her parents down. They are visiting dentist offices all over the city trying to find them."

"How long since they wrote?" Harry asked.

"Couple days," Ginny said distractedly as she studied the pattern again and muttered, "That can't be right."

Harry went back to his book and only made it through a couple sentences before saying, "What would you think about us going out on an actual date sometime?"

Ginny looked up from her work and asked, "Why?"

"It might be nice someday to tell our children and grandchildren about our dating when they ask. I would like for our stories to be about more than me moving into your house after the war because I had no where else to go and getting caught making out all over the house by your Mum," Harry explained.

Ginny giggled and said, "Have you ever taken a girl out on a proper date?"

"No, the closest I came was taking Pavarti to the Yule Ball or Luna to Slughorn's Christmas party…oh and I took Cho to Hogsmeade once while we were dating," Harry said, "I'm not sure any of those qualifies as a proper date."

Ginny's eyes narrowed at the mention of Cho's name but brushed it off and asked, "What does a proper date consist of?"

"I'm not sure, I was hoping that you knew," Harry confessed, "I only know what muggles consider a proper date to be."

"Which is," Ginny prompted.

"Usually dinner followed by some activity like seeing a movie or a play or dancing or bowling…" Harry trailed off, "Something like that."

"What on earth is bowling?" Ginny asked.

"A muggle sport," Harry said with a grin, "You throw this great heavy ball at ten wooden pins to try and knock them all down."

"Sounds mental," Ginny snickered, "But in a fun way."

"I've always wanted to try bowling," Harry confessed with a grin.

"So, dinner and bowling," Ginny mused, "You'll need to ask me of course."

"I thought that's what I was doing," Harry said.

"You asked what I thought…like hypothetically," Ginny reminded him, "If this is to be a proper date I think you should at least go to the trouble of asking me."

Harry sat up on the couch, abandoning his handbooks and crossed over to the chair where Ginny was sitting, "Miss Weasley," he began in the sincerest tone he could muster as he took her hand in his own, "I wondered if you'd do me the great honor of going out on a date with me tomorrow evening?"

Ginny snickered and said, "Why not tonight?"

"Your Mum informed me earlier that she is making all my favorites tonight for dinner, it would be rude to make other plans," Harry said.

"Ah, well in that case, yes, I would gladly agree to a date with you tomorrow evening," Ginny said, "Pick me up in the kitchen around seven?"

"Perfect," Harry said as he dropped a kiss on back of her hand.

Ginny pulled on his hand drawing him close enough to brush her lips against his. He felt his desire for her flare and deepened the kiss. Naturally Mrs. Weasley chose that moment to appear with a basket of laundry perched on her hip to fold. She cleared her throat loudly alerting them of her presence. She rolled her eyes and proceeded into the kitchen.

Harry retreated to the couch and his handbooks and Ginny, with a sour expression, went back to her knitting. Surreptitiously Harry watched Ginny mutter and grumble as she worked. Knowing that if they didn't succeed in getting some serious time alone without Mrs. Weasley's interruptions soon Ginny was going to go on a real rant. Harry had an idea; he pulled the dog tags from beneath his shirt and manipulated the letters to read, _"How about an informal date tonight….flying, after your Mum and Dad go to bed?"_

Harry watched as across the room Ginny pulled her dog tags from beneath her shirt and after reading them grinned over at him. She pulled out her own wand and manipulated the letters before sending him a message back_, "YES! I will send you a signal using these tonight when the coast is clear."_

Harry and Ginny remained in the sitting room until dinner time working on their projects. When Molly called that dinner was nearly ready he rose quickly and hurried to the bathroom before the meal. As he returned to the dining room he could hear Arthur and Molly talking quietly.

"I'll be Ginny is happy to have Harry back in the house," Arthur commented.

"I'll say," Molly said with a snort of laughter, "I've caught them snogging on four different occasions today."

"Don't go too hard on them, remember what we were like back when we were their age," Arthur scolded.

"Oh I'm not," Molly said, "I act stern and disapproving but really I think it is sweet. I just don't want them to get too carried away."

Harry smiled to himself as he purposely approached the kitchen loudly, announcing his presence. Dinner was marvelous, as Molly had promised she'd prepared as his favorites in honor of his return home from his first mission, including Treacle Tart. He had second helpings of everything before helping Ginny with the dishes. As she washed and he dried he whispered, "I have a secret for you tonight."

After the dishes were finished they returned to the sitting room where Ginny and Molly sat knitting and Arthur was studying a muggle car manual. Harry pretended to study his handbooks but he was really focusing on the slow moving of the clock's hands. It seemed as if the time that Arthur and Molly normally retired to bed would never come. Occasionally his and Ginny's eyes would meet across the room and she'd grimace or roll her eyes indicating that she too could not fathom how slowly the time was moving. Harry would be glad to have Ron and Hermione back at the Burrow to take some of the scrutiny, even if it was only for appearances, off of him and Ginny.

Finally, a half an hour later than they typically went up to bed Molly yawned loudly and after a glance at the clock said, "Oh dear, is that really the time? Arthur, time for bed." Harry could have sworn that he saw a mischievous glint in Molly's eyes as she said to him and Ginny, "Now you two don't stay up too late." He was almost sure that she had delayed their bed time on purpose knowing that they had plans to sneak off on their own.

Harry and Ginny sat silently concentrating on their own activities until they heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom door close.

"Should we go through the trouble of making it appear that we're heading off to bed?" Ginny whispered.

"Nah," Harry said, "We don't fool your Mum for a minute and even if we did she doesn't mind." Ginny shot him a questioning look and he continued, "That's my secret. I overhead your parents talking about us earlier and your Mum told your Dad that while she acted all stern she actually thinks we're very sweet."

"Seriously?" Ginny asked.

"That's what she said," Harry said, "She doesn't want us to get carried away but thought it rather sweet that she caught us so many times today."

Ginny smiled happily before saying, "So, flying?"

"Yes," Harry said excitedly dropping his handbooks onto the couch.

Out in the shed they debated on one broom or two. Since this was really an excuse to get away from the Burrow to have some private time together one broom made more sense but there was something about chasing Ginny around on a broomstick that made Harry insist upon two.

"Have you ever played tag?" Harry asked as they pushed off into the sky.

"What's that a muggle game?" Ginny said.

"Yeah, but muggles can't fly so they just run. One person is it and they have to try catch and tag the others, then they are it," Harry explained.

"Hmmmmm," Ginny said, "Sounds fun, you're it." With that she bent low over her broom handle putting on an extra bit of speed.

Harry shook his head with a grin, as he watched her streak away from him. He bent low over his broom handle too and gave chase. While her broom was no match for his speed-wise she had lots of tricks up her sleeve. Every time he thought he'd caught her she'd dive, loop or barrel roll away from his touch. It took him nearly half an hour to catch her the first time. He'd finally had to resort to some tricks of his own. He'd dipped lower in the sky so that he could camouflage himself in the trees. When she lost track of him and slowed in the sky to look for him he'd sped out from beneath and behind her and touched his hand to her hip. "You're it," he called confidently as he speed away.

It only took her twenty minutes to catch him the first time, despite the outright speed he was employing to keep away from her. Surprisingly she had more stealth than he did and when he realized he'd lost track of her he knew he was in trouble. She caught up with him from behind and tagged his shoulder.

They played for nearly an hour and a half before becoming bored with it and deciding that their need to be touching was more important. Ginny led Harry down to the banks of the lazily flowing river near the Burrow.

"That was a good work out," Harry said.

"Yeah and our flying got more precise the longer we played, that was why we could catch each other faster every time," Ginny said, "Maybe playing tag would be a good drill for Quidditch practice sometime."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "Something fun but beneficial."

"Exactly," Ginny said. She pulled at the neckline of her shirt and said, "I'm a sweaty mess though."

"Me too," Harry said wiping the sweat off his brow.

"We could go swimming," Ginny suggested, pointing to the river.

Harry looked at the river with longing; the cool water would feel heavenly right now on his sweat sticky body. "I don't have a suit," Harry said.

"So, go in your underwear," Ginny said, 'That's what I'm going to do." As Harry pulled his eyes from the glinting river he noticed that Ginny was half way stripped down to her bra and underwear. He admired her taut body as she shucked off her jeans and left them in a pile with her tank top and sneakers.

"Harry," Ginny said, "Coming?" Harry stood quickly and stripped down to his boxers and left his glasses on top of his clothing.

Together they moved to the edge of the river. "How cold do you think it is?" Harry asked.

"Don't think, just jump," Ginny commanded. He watched her red head disappear under the surface of the slowly moving water. Hesitating only a second longer he drew in a breath and jumped too. While the water was cold enough to be shocking, he had been right, it felt absolutely heavenly to feel the cool water envelope him in its depths. When his head broke the surface and he drew in a deep breath he swiveled to look for Ginny. His heart clenched in fear for a moment before she broke the surface beside him. Relief flooded him as they grinned at one another.

For a bit they just treaded water in the middle the river, letting the cool water work its magic. Eventually Ginny swam toward a shallower spot near the bank and Harry followed. When each had firm footing on the sandy bottom of the river their arms wound around one another and their mouths crushed together. They kissed with the abandon they had not dared to all day for fear that Molly's eagle eyes would catch them. Harry's mouth moved to Ginny's neck and collar bone as her hands roamed his chest in the silky water. His hands moved between her belly, hips and back as his mouth continued its work at her neck. Ginny made quiet noises of pleasure at his efforts and moved her mouth to his chest, softly kissing and biting her way across his collar bone. He moved his hands up her stomach to cup her breasts; through the wet material of her bra he could feel the hardness of her erect nipples. While he ached to touch her further he knew it would only complicate things. Sensing that Harry was hesitating she pulled away and asked, "What?"

"No further tonight," Harry said.

Ginny frowned and asked, "You said soon."

"I know," Harry groaned, "But I've had second thought since then."

"Why?" Ginny demanded, clearly irritated.

"If we continue to…er… explore at the rate we are now there will be nothing left by the time we go back to school and I think it would be better if we've not gotten that far by then," Harry said.

"What? Why?" Ginny said.

"Think about it, I imagine that once we've gone that far it will be hard to resist doing it over and over again. Can you think of many good places at Hogwarts to do that?" Harry said.

"Not without running the risk of getting caught," Ginny said, finally understanding.

"Exactly," Harry said, "Do you want to get caught doing that?"

Ginny shivered and said, "Imagine getting caught by a teacher. They'd send a letter home to Mum and Dad…"

"Exactly," Harry repeated, "So, as much as I want you and long to experience every part of you, I think we should wait."

"Wait until when?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Harry said, "What do you think?"

"I do think it would be very romantic to wait until our wedding night," Ginny said softly, "But once we get started it is easy for me to lose sight of that."

"Me too," Harry said, "Can we wait that long?"

"Let's try," Ginny said. Harry nodded and kissed her. She pulled away and added, "It might mean that we need to get married as soon as school is out though." Harry laughed and pulled her into his arms. He could imagine nothing he'd like more than to marry Ginny as soon as reasonably possible.

The next evening at seven Harry and Ginny met down in the kitchen. He was wearing black jeans and a sage green polo shirt. In his fist were clenched a bouquet of pink lilies that he'd conjured up in his room. Ginny was wearing a black knee-length sun dress with pink flowers along the hem. He handed her the bouquet with a chaste kiss on the cheek. She blushed accepting them as Molly cooed over how sweet they were. She went as far as taking out the camera and snapping a few shots of them together before they left on their first proper date. Molly took the lilies from Ginny and put them into a vase of water on the kitchen table. "Don't be out too late now, dears," Molly said as they went out into the yard to apparate into London.

Harry had done a little research and decided to take Ginny to an Italian restaurant in London called Biagio's. He wrapped his arms around her and apparated them to a side street near the restaurant. They were seated at a good table by a window. In silence they scoured their menus and took in their comfortable surroundings. Once they had ordered their food they smiled across the table at each other almost nervously.

"This is nice," Ginny said.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

"Why are we nervous?" Ginny asked, "We went swimming together last night in our knickers, but having dinner tonight is make us nervous?"

"We just need to be ourselves," Harry said, "We're putting too much pressure on tonight being our first proper date. Tonight doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be fun. Right?"

"Right," Ginny agreed as she reached across the table to take his hand.

"Were you serious about getting married next summer?" Harry asked.

"Well, we'll both be out of school. I'll be almost 18 and you'll be almost 19. I imagine that next summer after school is over you'll get your own place instead of moving back into Mum and Dad's house, so we won't be in the same place anymore," Ginny explained, "I imagine that I won't want to wait long to be able to move in with you and my Mum would be so disappointed if I moved in with a boy before I married him."

"You've given this some thought," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Well, deciding to get married is a big decision," Ginny said.

"And you're sure that I'm the one?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Ginny said simply.

"Care to expand on that at all?" Harry said.

"Harry, I can't imagine my life without you. I would go anywhere or do anything if I knew that I'd be with you," Ginny said, "The things that we have already experienced in our lives made us grow up fast. I know what I want."

"What about what you want to do after school," Harry asked, "Like as a career?"

"Are you trying to wriggle out of marrying me?" Ginny asked.

"No, not at all. There is nothing more that I want to do than marry you as soon as possible when school is out, I just want to make sure that is really what you want too," Harry said.

"I can be a Quidditch player or a healer or a dragon slayer or whatever and still be your wife," Ginny insisted, "Right?"

"Of course," Harry said, "I just want you to explore all your opportunities and not settle for marrying me because it sounds like a good idea now."

"I could say the same thing to you," Ginny said, turning the tables, "You are the youngest Auror the Ministry has ever employed. You are on your way to big things. Are you sure you want to tie yourself down with a wife as soon as school ends? Just think of the amazing women someone like you could get."

"Please," Harry scoffed, "No one could ever measure up to you. You understand me and love me for me, not because of who I am or what I've accomplished in my life. You are my family, my home, my life."

"Why can't you accept that I might feel the same way about you?" Ginny asked.

Harry kissed the back of her hand before saying, "Because when I look at you I wonder what I did to deserve someone as great as you."

Ginny blushed and said softly, "Me too."

Their food arrived and all discussion of getting married was dropped. As they ate in companionable quiet for a few minutes Harry did wonder how soon he should propose to Ginny to give Molly enough time to plan a June wedding. He also wondered how rare it was for students to get engaged while still in school. The food was amazing and they sampled each other's entrees. After the meal Harry ordered a slice of decadent chocolate cake with two forks. They savored it and took turns feeding each other bites.

"Oh my gosh, this is so good," Ginny said around a bite of cake.

"I know," Harry said, "I could eat this cake everyday, for every meal."

It was so good that when the first piece was gone they ordered another. Feeling full to bursting Harry paid the bill and led Ginny down the sidewalk.

"So bowling?" Ginny asked.

"Actually, I thought we might go see a movie instead," Harry said, "Classically dinner and a movie for the first date; bowling is more a second date kind of thing. We need to impress each other this time…we can embarrass ourselves bowling in front of each other on our next date."

"Afraid I won't be interested in you anymore after I've seen you bowl?" Ginny asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah," Harry said jokingly, "I've never bowled before, I might be terrible at it. No, actually I found out that there is a movie theater just down the street that shows old movies and thought that sounded perfect for tonight."

"Sounds good," Ginny agreed with a happy smile. It didn't matter to her what Harry decided they should do, as she had explained to him earlier she just wanted to be with him.

They walked to the theater and were greeted with the choice of three old movies: Roman Holiday, Casablanca or Gone With the Wind. Harry let Ginny choose and without benefit of any knowledge about what any of the movies plots were she choose Casablanca. Harry purchased the tickets and a large tub of popcorn when they entered the lobby. When they were seated Ginny asked, "Have you ever been to a movie?"

"I saw them on television at the Dursley's all the time," Harry said, "But only once in a theater like this. See Aunt Marge came for a visit and wanted to take the family out to see a movie but they couldn't find anyone to take me for the evening and they didn't trust me in the house alone so I got to go too." Ginny frowned at him like she often did when he shared stories of his childhood with her, admittedly his childhood had been much more depressing than most. "What about you?"

"No, I've heard of them from Dad of course, but never seen one," Ginny said, "I did see a TV in a store window once in London, but Mum wouldn't stay there long enough for me to watch it for long."

They continued talking until the theater lights dimmed and the screen in front of them flickered to life. Harry watched Ginny; her eyes alight with excitement as she watched the screen. He loved sharing new things with her. About half way through the movie Ginny leaned toward him, kissed him on the cheek and said, "This is amazing, thank you."

When the movie ended they apparated back to the Burrow and lie together on a blanket in the back garden staring up at the stars overhead. They discussed the movie and what parts was their favorite.

"That was the best date ever," Ginny said.

"How can you be sure, wasn't that your first real date?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but it really was perfect. I had a wonderful time," Ginny said.

"So we can do it again soon?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Ginny said, "I really want to see you bowl," she teased.

"Okay," Harry said, "Just let me know when you're free."

"You know what would be fun?" Ginny said, "When Ron and Hermione get home maybe we could go on a double date with them."

"Yeah," Harry said, "We could try that sometime."

"You don't think it would be fun?" Ginny asked.

"Sure," Harry agreed, "I just like my alone time with you."

"I'm not saying every time, but we could try it once," Ginny persisted.

"You're right, that would be fun," Harry said.

Harry and Ginny lay on the blanket watching the stars and talking about everything they could think of until the sky started to glow lighter. "We'd better get to bed before your Mum realizes we've been out here all night talking," Harry said.

"I'm sure she'd be happy that we were just talking, we could have been doing other things all night long," Ginny said.

"True," Harry agreed, as he helped her up off the ground he continued, "Let me walk you to your room."

In the kitchen they took off their shoes and tiptoed up to Ginny's landing. Harry pulled Ginny into his arms and kissed the top of her head, "I love you, Gin," he whispered.

"I love you too, Harry," she whispered back before she gently kissed him.

"Good-night," Harry said as he released her and headed up to the attic.

"Sweet dreams," she called after him as she closed the door behind him.

Harry knew that he would have nothing by sweet dreams about their future.

Ginny changed into her pajamas and settled on her bed to write about their first date in her journal. It was a night she never wanted to forget. She smiled as she noticed that the vase of lilies had been left on her bedside table for her. She never would have imagined that things could feel so perfect.

**Author's Note:** I needed to write a really fluffy chapter after the two mission chapters that I struggled with. I hope everyone enjoyed. If you have date ideas for Harry and Ginny or a double date idea let me know. The pace will probably start to pick up…I will do their birthdays, school shopping, another mission (probably from Ginny's POV) and then back to school. Let me know how I'm doing and if you have suggestions please let me know. Thanks for reading!


	13. Dreams

_In the confining space of the laundry room Ginny was moving her school uniforms and robes from the washer into the dryer when Harry appeared bearing a heap of dirty clothing. "Sorry Ginny," he said as he nearly collided with her, not being able to see well over the bundle he carried, "I didn't realize anyone was in here."_

"_Just finishing up my laundry for school," Ginny told him._

"_Me too," Harry said, "Is the washer open?"_

"_Yep, all finished," Ginny said as she pulled the last of her robes from the washer._

_Harry dumped the entire armload of clothes into the washer and started the water running. Ginny was bent over the dryer cleaning off the lint screen when Harry's hip brushed alluringly across her bottom as he reached past her for the laundry soap. Ginny finished her task, straightened and watched Harry appraisingly as he added soap to the washer. After a quick glimpse out into the hall Ginny closed the door and returned her gaze to Harry. When he finally closed the washer's lid he turned and seeing the closed door and Ginny leaning against it studying him, understood her intentions. Without a word he closed the small gap between them and wrapped her in his embrace, lowering his lips to hers and moving his hands to twine in her hair. She slid her hands up his chest beneath his tee-shirt tantalizingly. His hands moved to the summery blouse she was wearing today and deftly began opening buttons. Her hands moved to his jeans where she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants before slipping a hand inside. He moved to unhook her bra but before he made it there her hand wrapped around him and he hissed in amazed surprise, "Ginny!"_

"Ginny," Harry said again as he shook her arm. He needed to leave now but wanted to say good-bye first.

"Harry," Ginny practically moaned.

Harry confused by her tone lit his wand and pointed it closer to her face, her eyes were still firmly shut, was she dreaming? "Ginny," he said loudly shaking her arm, almost roughly.

Her eyes flickered open and upon seeing Harry a deep blush colored her skin. Quickly her embarrassment was replaced by fear, understanding that there must be something wrong for Harry to be waking her at five in the morning. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"I have to go," Harry said, "Kingsley sent an urgent message. I am the only available Auror to go out on a quick mission with Noah."

"Now?" Ginny asked, sounding panicked.

"Right now," Harry said, "But I wanted to come say good-bye." He bent toward her and kissed her. "I love you, talk to you soon."

"I love you too," Ginny said, "Do you have your dog tags?"

"Yes," Harry said as he hurried to the door, "Bye."

"When will you be back?" Ginny called.

"Hopefully later today, sometime tomorrow at the latest," Harry said. He pulled her door shut behind him.

Ginny lay awake for nearly an hour before sitting up and turning on her light to knit. Her mind was buzzing with questions about this current mission. 'Did it have anything to do with the last mission? Why was Harry the only Auror available? Had Noah specifically requested Harry? How dangerous was what they were doing today?' She wanted him to be happy but she hated that his job always left her feeling left behind and worried. Around six thirty, an hour and a half since he'd left, she felt her eyes beginning to grow heavy so she set the knitting aside and pull the covers back over her. She let the weight of sleep pull her back into dreaming almost immediately.

_His hand returned to the hooks of her bra and he struggled with them for nearly a minute before moving his mouth to her ear and asking huskily, "Help me? Please." Ginny's mouth returned to his as she moved her free hand to her back and effortlessly opened her bra. His hands quickly slid up her stomach and cupped her breasts after brushing aside the loose bra. She removed her hand from his pants long enough to rid herself of the blouse and the bra. Harry was nimbly handling her left breast in his hand while his mouth carefully circled her right nipple. Ginny's hand froze around him as her head fell back and a moan of pleasure escaped her lips. 'Ginny?' her mother's voice asked from outside the laundry room door._

"Ginny?" Molly called before opening the bedroom door and letting herself in.

Again Ginny felt a traitorous blush creep up her neck to her face, "Mum?" she asked, "It's only seven in the morning. I don't have to get up yet do I?"

"No, of course not dear," Molly soothed, "I saw a note from Harry in the kitchen saying he was called out on a mission. Did you see him off?"

"He came in to say good-bye, but I didn't go downstairs with him," Ginny said.

"What time did he leave?" Molly asked.

"Five," Ginny said as she sat up in bed and rubbed her stiff neck.

"Ginny, are you okay? You are very flushed," Molly said, placing a hand to Ginny's forehead.

Ginny shook off her Mum's hand saying, "I'm fine."

"Alright," Molly said, "Go back to sleep then."

Molly left the room and again Ginny lie awake worrying about Harry and thinking over the nature of the dreams she'd had. She lay in bed for half an hour hoping to fall asleep and reenter the delicious dream world she'd just left. When it became apparent that sleep was not likely to come again she rose from her bed and gathered some clean clothes to take up to the bathroom.

In the mirror Ginny caught sight of her pinkish tinge. Her face was flushed and the freckled skin of her neck and shoulders were too, in blotchy patches. No wonder her Mum thought she was ill. Ginny stripped off her damp nightgown and knickers and stepped into the nearly cold shower. She shivered in the cool spray and could feel that the ache of desire in her core was not relenting. She shampooed her hair and washed her face. She lathered up a washcloth with soap and began trailing it along her wet curves. She closed her eyes and pretended it was his hands and not her own as she traced her most intimate parts. She let her mind wander back to the dreams of earlier this morning and touched herself with an urgency unlike she'd ever known. It was probably lucky that Harry wasn't home because if he was she might not have been able to control her urges.

Twenty minutes later, feeling well satisfied and much calmer she went down to the kitchen for breakfast.

"I thought you went back to sleep?" Molly asked as she quickly tried to hide the trashy muggle romance novel she was reading at the table.

"I tried, but couldn't get back to sleep so I decided that I'd just get up instead," Ginny replied.

"It's hard on you when he is away, isn't it?" Molly asked.

"Very," Ginny said, "I know he is perfectly capable of handling himself, but things could still go wrong. Probably the worst part is the not knowing who he is after or where he is…all the unknowns."

"Maybe when he's finished school he'll get a different sort of job," Molly suggested.

"I doubt it. Being an Auror is like second nature to him, I don't think he could be satisfied by any other job," Ginny said, "And I would never ask him to."

"I wasn't suggesting you should ask him to," Molly said, "It would be like me asking your father to give up all his muggle fascinations."

"Exactly," Ginny said as she helped herself to a plate of eggs and sausage and a cup of tea before settling across the table from her mother.

Molly studied her daughter, she would be seventeen this summer but seemed somehow older than that. She supposed it was the war; it forced everyone to grow up faster than they should have needed to. One year of school left and then what; suddenly Molly needed to know, "Are you and Harry making plans?"

"Plans for what?" Ginny asked.

"To be married?" Molly asked. She watched carefully as Ginny's face morphed from surprised to secretive. "I only ask because I know how fast things can happen in times like this. I can see on your face how in love you are. When your father and I got married we eloped, I'd hate it if you didn't allow your family to be part of your big day."

Ginny was unsure if she should divulge any of what she and Harry had been talking about or not. She decided hastily that until she knew what Harry's thoughts were about sharing their plans she'd keep it to herself. "We haven't discussed it," Ginny said as she kept her eyes riveted on her tea cup.

Molly wasn't fooled, but if she was being honest she would have been surprised if Ginny had spilled anything to her. "Just promise me that when you and Harry do get married we will all get to be there to see it."

"Of course," Ginny said, "Of course."

As Ginny sat eating her breakfast an owl appeared at the kitchen window and knocked carefully with its beak. Ginny opened the window and accepted a letter postmarked from Australia.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Ron and I are still searching for my parents. When I set the memory charm I must not have put enough emphasis on what they were to call themselves so I could find them again. Ron and I are visiting any dentists in the phone book that have names similar to what I suggested. There are lots of dentists in Australia and I'm sure we will find them soon. Has Harry returned from his mission? If he has he should write and tell Ron and me all about it. Have you been to the shop to help Percy and George yet? How are things coming along for them? Give everyone love from Ron and I. We hope to see you all soon._

_Love,_

_Hermione (and Ron)_

Ginny fetched a sheet of blank parchment, a quill and some ink to respond immediately.

_Dear Hermione and Ron,_

_I am sorry to hear that it is taking so long to find your parents. I hope that they will turn up soon. Maybe you should also be looking for names that are similar to what their names were before…just a thought. Harry returned from his first mission a day early and this morning got called out on another one. It sounds like this one should be shorter than the first one was. I will have him write to you two about his work when he returns. I did spend a little time at the shop during Harry's first mission; they didn't need a lot of help then. I will have to go see if they need any help today; it will help pass the time while Harry is away. The day after Harry got home he took me out on a proper date. We had dinner and saw a movie in London. It was a lot of fun and when you guys are back we should all go on a double date._

_Hope to see you back here soon – it is too quiet without you._

_Love, Ginny_

Ginny sent the letter off with the family owl before fire calling Percy and George at the shop to see if they needed her help with anything. At the moment they didn't have anything but if she wanted to drop in after lunch they would try to find some things she could help with. Lunchtime was still hours away, what was she going to do with herself until then? Suddenly the dog tags under her shirt burned. Ginny pulled them out and read, _"Gin, Still safe and sound, this mission shouldn't be a problem. What exactly were you dreaming about this morning when I came to say good-bye to you? Love, H."_

Ginny blushed hotly, she hadn't realized that he'd noticed that she'd been having a sexy dream about the two of them. Thinking for a moment she wrote back, _"Harry, I think you already guessed what I was dreaming about or you wouldn't be asking. Hoping to see you soon. Love, Ginny."_

"_I may have guessed but I would like to hear some details, please. Stake out duty is boring. Love, H."_ He responded.

Blushing Ginny wrote, _"You…Me…laundry room…sans clothing…that's all I'm giving you. Use your imagination. Love, Ginny."_

Ginny expected to receive a message back full of teasing or wit but it didn't come. Deciding to assume that the mark had appeared and he had to take action Ginny wandered out to the garden to soak up some of the summer sun. She was contemplating going for a fly on Harry's broom when the tags burned again. With a chuckle she pulled them from beneath her shirt prepared for Harry's ribbing on her behalf but instead read, _"Ginny, This is Noah. Harry has been injured; meet us at St. Mungo's ASAP."_ Ginny's knees felt weak and her stomach lurched. When she was sure that she wasn't going to be sick Ginny ran full speed back into the house and shouted, "Mum, Harry's been hurt, we have to go to St. Mungo's now."

Molly burst out of the laundry room with a grim expression on her face. She took Ginny by the arm and as they dashed out into the garden to apparate she said, "It's okay dear, everything will be just fine."

When they arrived at St. Mungo's Molly marched up to the desk stepping in front of the long line that was already assembled and told the administration witch, "We're here to see Auror Potter."

Despite the grumbles and protestations behind them the witch said, "Certainly, he was just admitted, please take the second lift to the fifth floor and wait in the Ministry Staff waiting room and someone will be with you shortly."

Molly and Ginny proceeded to the fifth floor and found two seats together in the Ministry Staff waiting room. Arthur burst through the door a short time later and upon seeing them said, "Oh good, you're here. I tried fire calling the Burrow to let you know but no one seemed to be home. How did you find out?"

Ginny pulled the dogs tags from beneath her shirt and explained to her parents the system by which she and Harry had been communicating while he was away on missions. "He must have explained them to Noah because this is how Noah contacted me," Ginny said.

"Very clever," Arthur said as he studied the tags. "Where did you get these?"

"From your shed," Ginny said sheepishly, "Sorry, we should have asked."

"No, its fine, I have loads of whatever these things are," Arthur said.

Just then a witch entered the waiting room and called for the family of Auror Potter. Arthur, Molly and Ginny stood and approached the witch. With them following her she started down a hallway. "Auror Potter is going to be just fine. He was admitted with a broken arm, multiple contusions and a mild concussion. Auror Irvine is with Auror Potter and can explain to you what happened." She stopped and opened the door to Harry's room for them.

Harry was asleep in his bed but looked fine. His broken arm and cuts had been magically healed. "His concussion is mild, but because of the dizziness they decided to give him a sleeping potion. Being dizzy was making him sick to his stomach. I'm Noah Irvine," Noah said as he stepped forward to shake hands with all of them.

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

"We were sent back to Greece to try and apprehend Lucius Malfoy when he arrived to meet with Cerbus. I was to use polyjuice to take on Cerbus' appearance and Harry was to wait in the shadows until my signal to stun him. Cerbus and Lucius must have orchestrated a very complex dialog that would indicate immediately whether or not I was really him. Lucius must have realized immediately that I wasn't who I said I was and watched my eyes for where my partner was hiding. I still thought things were going well when he whirled and sent a blasting spell toward the area Harry was hiding in," Noah explained.

"So Lucius got away?" Arthur asked.

"No Harry was brilliant," Noah said, "He was faster than Lucius and a cast full body bind spell at him as soon as he started to turn toward him despite not having gotten a signal from me. Lucius fell to the ground before his spell hit the corner Harry was tucked away in."

"Then the mission was a success," Molly said brightly.

Still feeling scared and breathless over the entire ordeal and ready to lash out at someone, even though it turned out fine, Ginny trained her sights on Noah, "You were the one who thought Harry shouldn't be allowed to be an Auror because he lacked qualifications," Ginny accused, "Do you still think so?"

"I regret my assumptions about Harry. He is very talented and has now saved my life twice. He will obviously become one of the best Aurors this department has ever had the pleasure of employing," Noah said, "I feel lucky to call him a friend."

"You should," Ginny said huffily, "After the things he's done he didn't deserve the scrutiny you put him under."

Noah, understanding that her words were a product of fear and protectiveness of Harry said, "I am sorry and Harry knows that as well. Listen, I need to get back to the Ministry to write up my reports about today's mission. I might stop by on my way home tonight to see how Harry is doing. It was lovely to meet all of you."

"Ginny," Molly scolded, "There was no need to be so rough on Noah, he and Harry get along fine now."

"I know," Ginny said with a sigh, "I just…I had some misplaced anger….I hate seeing him like this," Ginny said pointing toward Harry.

"He's going to be fine," Molly soothed, "A couple days of rest and he'll be good as new."

Ginny pulled the lone chair in the room next to Harry's bed so she could hold his hand. Arthur, satisfied that Harry was doing quite well decided to head back to the office. Molly hovered over Ginny and Harry at first, then offered to fetch some lunch and Ginny's knitting from the Burrow.

When Harry and Ginny were alone in the room Ginny whispered, "This is why your job scares me. You said this would be a simple mission, yet here you are in a hospital bed. I know you are fine but what if you aren't the next time? I will never, ever ask you to do something else because I know that you can't or won't…but I will never get used to this part of it." Ginny let a few tears leak out, until now she hadn't cried. But in these few private minutes she would let some of the emotion out.

Harry continued to sleep. Molly returned with sandwiches and pumpkin juice for herself and Ginny. Then as the afternoon wore on the two of them sat knitting as Harry slept. Healers came in to check on him a few times but assured Ginny and Molly that he was fine. Percy, George, Kingsley and Reed all stopped by to visit during the long afternoon, all while Harry slept. Ginny was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to wake up. As the afternoon turned into evening Molly decided to go back to the Burrow and make dinner for Arthur and herself. She would return later to deliver some to Ginny, who insisted on staying with Harry.

Ginny continued knitting; looking up at Harry's face every ten minutes to ensure that he was still doing okay.

"Hey," he croaked about an hour after Molly had departed.

Ginny's head shot up and immediately her eyes filled with tears, "You're awake," she said as she furiously swiped at the ridiculous tears.

"Why are you crying? I'm okay, just a concussion," Harry said pointing at his head.

"I know," Ginny said, "I don't know why I'm crying except maybe because I'm so glad you're okay."

"Come here," Harry said pulling her by the hand she had placed into his as soon as he'd woken. He scooted over on the bed and pulled her onto it with him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close enough to whisper in her ear, "I'm sorry I worried you. You know I will always do my best to come back to you."

Ginny wiped the last of her tears away. She felt silly for crying over just a broken arm, a few cuts and a mild concussion, but she couldn't help it. Hearing he was hurt and then seeing him in the hospital brought back all the feeling from when she had thought she'd lost him just a month before. She hoped it would be many many years before she had to deal with actually losing him. She wanted them to grow old together and have lots of grandchildren. The way Harry was comforting her now she thought just maybe he understood all of that. "How long to you have to stay in the hospital?" she asked.

"I think until tomorrow morning," Harry said.

"I got a letter from Ron and Hermione today," Ginny said, "I might still have it in my pocket." Ginny fished the note out of her pocket and handed it to Harry. He read it and Ginny said, "I wrote back to them this morning and promised that I'd have you write about your mission as soon as I saw you again."

"I will, but not just yet," Harry said with a grin, "I want to hear more about the dream I interrupted this morning."

Ginny blushed and teased, "Do you think that's wise for a person suffering from a concussion and dizziness?"

"Come on," Harry pleaded.

"How did Noah know to get a hold of me using the dog tags?" Ginny asked, changing the subject.

"He saw me send you the first message and asked about them," Harry said, "He thinks you are tremendously clever to have come up with such an ingenious way of keeping in touch with me."

"He seems like a nice guy," Ginny said, "I'm afraid I gave him a bit of a hard time though."

"I'm sure he understands that you were under strain, what with me being injured and all," Harry said, "Now, about that dream…"

"Harry," Ginny said slugging him playfully in the arm, "You're going to pester me about it until I tell you, aren't you?"

"Why don't you want to tell me?" Harry asked.

"It's a little embarrassing," Ginny confessed.

"I think it's flattering," Harry countered, "What if instead of telling me about it I ask you questions about it."

"I supposed," Ginny said.

"So we were in the laundry room without clothing," Harry began.

"It was more like we were undressing each other," Ginny explained.

"Were we shagging?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"No, but things were definitely heading in that direction," Ginny said.

"Why were we in the laundry room?" Harry asked.

"We were both doing our laundry before going back to school and I suppose in that small confined space we kept nudging and bumping each other and that just got us started," Ginny said.

"You definitely seemed to be enjoying the dream when I came to wake you up, you moaned my name," Harry said.

Ginny groaned and covered her eyes with her hands, "It was a good dream, so good it continued when I finally fell back to sleep after you left. Then when my Mum woke me up before the dream concluded I had to go take a cold shower."

Harry chuckled, pulling her hands from her eyes. He looked deep into her eyes and said, "I love that dream about us, I do too."

"You do?" Ginny asked.

"Since sixth year," Harry said, "I felt extremely grateful that I was no longer doing occlumency lessons with Snape, that would have been embarrassing."

"No kidding," Ginny snickered, "Tell me about some of your dreams." Now it was Harry's turn to blush. "See," Ginny said, "Not as easy to talk about when it's you."

"Well…you know the night we went swimming in the river?" Harry asked. When Ginny nodded he continued, "I've dreamt about how things might have gone every night since then."

"And how might have things gone?" Ginny asked coyly.

"We might have decided to skinny-dip in the river instead of swimming in our knickers. And we might have shagged on the bank of the river in the moonlight," Harry explained

"How do we expect to last until our wedding night if we are both having smutty dreams?" Ginny asked, "Which reminds me, my Mum asked me at breakfast if you and I were making plans to be married."

"What did you tell her?" Harry asked.

"Nothing, I didn't know what you'd want me to tell her," Ginny asked.

"How about I talk to your parents about it? I was planning on asking for their blessing anyway," Harry suggested.

Harry and Ginny continued to snuggle and chat on his bed together until eventually they fell asleep. When Molly finally returned with a basket of dinner for Ginny she found them curled together on the bed. "How sweet," she murmured, drawing the covers more tightly around them. She settled herself in the chair next to the bed and took out her knitting. She looked over at them again and wondered how long it would be until she called Harry her son in law.

**Author's Note:** Another fluffy chapter…but it does set up a few things that are going to happen in the future. I only heard from two of you after my last chapter – so BIG HUGE thanks to **caus** and **Jamiegirl123**. I'm not sure if I should think my story is no longer living up to expectations or if everyone was too busy to leave me some feedback. The timeline is going to make a jump in the next chapter. I think I am going to fast-forward to Harry's birthday…I will do a recap of what they did during the month leading up to his b-day. If any one has any ideas of what would make his birthday extra special let me know. Hoping to hear from more of you this time around. Thanks! Tinkerbell

BTW, I have no idea if Mr. and Mrs. Weasley eloped, but as it was around the time of the first war I thought it might have been possible.


	14. Happy Birthday Harry

**Author's Note:** I'm going to start this chapter off with a note…I'm SO sorry about the delay in this chapter. All I can say is that sometimes life gets in the way of the things I'd rather be doing…like writing this story. I hope I'm not too hard to forgive. To make it up to all of you I wrote my longest chapter EVER! Over 8 thousand words! If you will recall in the last chapter Harry was injured in a return mission to Greece to capture Lucius Malfoy. And the story continues….

The month after Harry's second mission flew by and suddenly it was the eve of Harry's eighteenth birthday. For the first week after Harry's second mission he was restricted from things like flying and apparition. He spent the majority of that week, despite feeling mostly fine, on the couch in the sitting room being cared for by Molly and Ginny. He was glad when the week was over and a healer at St. Mungo's cleared him to return to all his normal activities. Ron and Hermione had returned from Australia two weeks after Harry's mission but hadn't returned to the burrow until just the previous evening. Using Ginny's suggestion of looking into names similar to Granger, they tracked down Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who had been using the surname Granginett. Once they had been found there were matters to deal with before returning to England; and once back in England there were a whole mess of other matters to deal with. Arthur had been promoted at the Ministry and now worked more closely with Kingsley in regard to muggle relations. George and Percy were working steadily toward reopening the shop within the next week. Harry and Ginny had spent many afternoons there in the last month helping with what they could. While George was struggling with moving forward with the shop without Fred, the busy work was helping him immensely with not dwelling.

Currently Harry was sitting by the river trying to read his Auror handbooks. He'd made it most of the way through the dry material during his convalescence on the couch but he wanted to finish up the rest before he had another mission. Harry read the paragraph he was on for the third time before sighing and admitting to himself that he was not at all interested in Auror protocol today. Not that he had much choice. He'd been banished from the kitchen where Molly and Ginny were planning a birthday party for him. He'd insisted that he didn't need anyone to fuss over his birthday but his protests fell on deaf ears. He let the handbook slide out of his hand and onto the sandy bank below as he lay back on the warm rock and shut his eyes. He lay this way for several minutes just basking in the sun. When a shadow approached and fell across his face he hoped it was Ginny.

"Oy," Ron's voice said, "I was sent to keep you company. Move over."

Harry sat up and scooted over to make room for Ron to sit beside him on the rock, "How big is this party going to be exactly?"

"Sounds like they are inviting everyone you've ever been friendly with at school, Hagrid, Andromeda, Teddy, Kingsley, Reed, Noah, McGonagall…" Ron listed.

"So, big," Harry said interrupting.

"Yeah," Ron said, "Sorry mate, I know you said you didn't want a fuss but everyone thinks you deserve one. I guess that is what you get for saving the wizarding world."

"Any idea what Ginny is getting me for my birthday?" Harry asked, "I'm trying to figure out what to get her for her birthday and it would be helpful to know what she's getting me to gauge by."

"I know," Ron said with a grin, "But Ginny promised to cheerfully murder me if I told you."

"Can you give me a hint?" Harry begged.

"No," Ron said, "She said no hints either. You won't have any trouble buying her a gift, you buy her things now and she loves all of them. You'll be fine."

"I guess," Harry said. Truth was he knew what part of her gift was going to be. But that part of her gift was meant to be private between the two of them. He needed to figure out a part that she could receive in front of her family. He had considered an owl or a new broomstick but wasn't sure yet. He supposed he'd figure it out. He had almost two weeks after all.

After a few minutes of silence Harry asked, "Is there a big bash planned for Ginny when she turns seventeen in two weeks?"

"Nope, just family," Ron said, "She insisted."

"Sure," Harry complained, "I requested the same thing and look at what I ended up with."

Ron chuckled before saying, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but the real reason my Mum and Ginny are planning all this is because of all the people who approached them about having a birthday party for you. They started getting owls weeks ago asking when the party was. At first they just ignored them, knowing that you wanted something closer to home but then there were so many requests that they didn't know what else to do."

Harry scowled a little before brightening and saying, "I should be happy; remembering all my miserable unrecognized birthdays with the Dursleys should make me ecstatic that I have so many people who wanted to share it with me now."

"That's the spirit," Ron said.

"I just really want to spend a quiet day with all of you though," Harry said.

"I know," Ron replied as he picked up a flat rock to skip, "Maybe next year."

"As long as I'm not allowed in the house, maybe I should go and shop for Ginny's birthday present," Harry said, "Is that allowed?"

"I reckon Ginny would be thrilled at the idea of you shopping for her birthday present," Ron said, "Care for some company?"

"Sure," Harry said.

"I'll just run up to the house to let them know that we are going," Ron said.

While Ron was away Harry contemplated whether or not he could include Ron on his plans for the more private part of Ginny's birthday gift. It was a tricky situation with Ron being both Harry's best mate and Ginny's older brother. In the end Harry decided that he'd best keep that part of the gift to himself.

When Ron returned, they apparated to Diagon Alley so Harry could get some gold out of his vault. As they approached the bank Ron blanched and told Harry that he'd feel better about going to visit George and Percy at the shop while Harry got his money. Harry explained that he'd felt the same way a month ago when he and Ginny had retrieved gold for shopping, but all their crimes seemed to have been forgiven. Nevertheless Ron told Harry to meet him at the shop when he was finished.

Tebodn was again the goblin assigned to take Harry down to his vault. He handed Harry a bag and held the door open while Harry got what he needed. Just as Harry was sure he had everything he saw something in the back corner of the vault that he'd never noticed before. It was a dark wooden box that was tucked into the shadows, practically impossible to detect. He set down the bag of gold and carefully moved the box into the pool of light cast on the floor through the open door of the vault. He cast a scourgify spell at the box to remove the heavy coat of dust before trying to manually open the box's lid. It was stuck tight. Harry was unsure if the box was not opening because it had been locked or because the many years it had spent in his vault had warped it. Harry tried Alohomora and heard a tiny click. Trying the lid, it now creaked open. Inside the box were multiple smaller boxes and some velvet pouches and a thick stack of letters tied with a ribbon.

Harry picked up the letters first and saw that the top one at least was addressed to Lily Evans from James Potter. Wondering if they were love letters he quickly returned them to the box, he wasn't sure he was emotionally equipped to deal with love letters between his parents at the moment. He picked up one of the velvet pouches and spilled the contents into his palm. It was a square cut emerald pendant on a thin gold chain. Opening another he found a pair of diamond earrings. Understanding dawned quickly that this box contained all the gifts his father had given his mother while they were together. They must have hidden it away here before they went into hiding in Godric's Hollow. Harry's breathing hitched a little at the thought. How close he felt to them when he was handling the things that belonged to them; but also how lonely, nothing would ever bring them back. All he had now were pictures and some of their old possessions. He opened a few of the little boxes and found emerald earrings to match the necklace and a fiery opal pendant on a silver chain. As he looked through these things he mused that one day he would give them to Ginny or maybe their daughter, if they ever had one. Harry looked through the rest of the jewelry before slipping one of the small boxes into his pocket. He relocked the box and it moved back into the shadowed corner.

"Took you long enough," Ron said when Harry finally entered the shop, "George put me to work."

"There was a line," Harry lied smoothly.

"Help me finish dusting this shelf and then we can go," Ron said. "Have you decided what you're going to get her?"

"I think I'll get her a Firebolt," Harry said with a grin, "She keeps stealing mine out of the broom shed. Besides, if we are going to be co-captains she should be on as good a broom as I have."

"I'm surprised that you're not getting her a more personal gift," Ron mused, "I thought with how close you two have gotten you'd be getting jewelry or something."

"Who says I'm not?" Harry asked.

"A broomstick and jewelry?" Ron whistled, "Too rich for my blood. Hermione will be lucky if I can afford to buy her a book for her birthday."

"The broomstick is the public part of her gift," Harry confided, "The jewelry is meant to have a more personal significance. Can you keep it a secret?"

Ron's eyes widened and he asked, "Are you proposing to her then?"

"No," Harry said, "Not that."

Ron looked relieved before saying, "Not that I wouldn't be thrilled for the two of you, but it would seem a little quick."

"You'll keep it a secret though?" Harry pressed.

"Of course," Ron agreed.

After a quick hello to George and Percy, Harry and Ron departed for Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry wasted no time in asking the sales clerk about buying a Firebolt 2 and was pleased to discover that there was still one in stock. Harry paid for it quickly before perusing the store with Ron. As he contemplated different Quidditch supplies and gear Harry let himself think ahead to returning to school in the fall and captaining the team with Ginny. He hadn't played in a Quidditch match since his sixth year and how he had missed it. It was one of those shining moments when he knew without a single doubt that he'd made the right choice in returning to school for one last year. When he and Ron had tired of looking at the supplies they returned to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and Harry asked George if he could possibly hide Ginny's birthday present upstairs in the apartment until her birthday. While George led him up stairs to hide the broom Ron flooed the Burrow to see if it was all right for Harry to return to the house yet.

"If you could stall him for another twenty minutes we can hide all the evidence," Ginny said.

"Aren't you even going to ask what he bought you for your birthday?" Ron teased.

"No," Ginny said, "My birthday is nearly two weeks away and I'm not stupid enough to think that you'd actually tell me."

Ron grinned and said, "You are going to love it."

"I would expect no less," Ginny said with a soft smile.

When Ron and Harry returned home Harry was given strict instructions to stay out of the sitting room, the laundry room, Ginny's room and the cupboards in the kitchen. Harry thought for a moment before saying, "I'll be in the attic until dinner, is that okay?" When granted permission Harry headed up to the attic and flopped down on his bed. He pulled the box from his pocket and opened it to admire the piece of his mother's jewelry that he intended to pass onto Ginny. It was perfect. He heard someone coming up the stairs and quickly stowed the box in his school trunk under his boxers.

"Hey," Ginny said as she entered the room, "You're probably feeling neglected today."

"A bit," Harry admitted as he pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry," Ginny murmured, "You didn't even want this party and now you are being ignored while I work on planning it."

"It's okay," Harry said, "I understand."

"Do you?" Ginny said, "This party wasn't our intention. Mum and I were all set to have a quiet family birthday celebration for you. Then we started getting all these owls from people asking about a birthday party for you."

"Ron told me all about it," Harry confessed, "I understand. I still don't love the idea, but I'll be a good sport."

"You have to understand that based on all the things you were up against last year, by all accounts you should not have survived to see another birthday," Ginny explained, "People are looking at your birthday as further proof that you survived and Voldemort is really gone."

"Did you think I wouldn't survive?" Harry asked.

"I had a lot of hope and faith that you would survive," Ginny said, "If anyone had a chance of surviving it was you, but I'd be lying if I said that I never had any doubts. However my doubts had less to do with your ability than with my fear that the best thing in my life would not return to me safely."

Harry pulled her closer again and murmured against her hair, "Even if you had monumental doubts I couldn't be upset about that. I had major doubts myself. When I went into the forest I went in prepared to die."

"So, you understand," Ginny asked, "You're not too upset with Mum and I for planning this?"

"No, it will be fun," Harry admitted, "But I'd still prefer to spend the day with just you and the rest of the family."

"Next year," Ginny said.

"That was what Ron said too. I'm going to hold you two to it," Harry said.

"So I hear you bought my birthday present today," Ginny asked slyly.

"You heard right," Harry grinned.

"I also heard that I'm going to love it," Ginny said.

"That is also true," Harry said, "But I'm not giving you any hints."

"That's fair," Ginny said with a grin, "I'm not giving you any hints either."

After dinner Harry offered to visit Teddy and Andromeda in an effort to avoid spending the rest of the evening cooped up in the attic to be clear of the party planning. Ron tried to offer to accompany him to avoid being put to work, but Molly wouldn't hear of it. Harry spent the evening entertaining baby Teddy by making stuffed toys levitate around Andromeda's sitting room. When he returned to the Burrow he was met in the garden by Ginny who said that she needed to blindfold him before helping him up to the attic.

"Seriously?" Harry asked, "What if I'm not ready to go to sleep yet?"

"You don't have to go to sleep yet; Ron Hermione and I are going to keep you company up there. You just can't see most of the rest of the house until tomorrow," Ginny explained.

"What time is the party tomorrow," Harry asked, "How long am I going to be confined to the attic tomorrow?"

"The party starts at four," Ginny said, "But we've decided that you can see everything tomorrow before the party, just not before your actual birthday tomorrow."

"Well thank goodness," Harry muttered, starting to get seriously annoyed with the whole thing.

"I'm sorry," Ginny pleaded, "I know it is inconvenient."

"It's fine," Harry said dropping a kiss on her worried brow, "I know you are all doing this for me."

Harry submitted to being blindfolded. Ginny got behind him and placed her hand on his hips and began steering him toward the house. As they entered the kitchen Harry heard giggles that he was sure were at his expense.

"Sorry Harry," Molly said, "Just until tomorrow morning."

"Hey Harry," came Charlie's voice from the sitting room.

"Charlie's here?" Harry asked.

"Bill and Fleur, Percy and George are here too," Ginny said, "No one wants to miss this party."

"Explain to me again why this is such a big deal?" Harry asked dryly.

"May I?" Fleur asked from right in front of Harry.

"Be my guest," Ginny said.

"Harry," Fleur began, "My feeling on why this is a big deal is that it was inappropriate to really celebrate the victory when so many had suffered and died. But now that the funerals are over and the mourning is lessening people want to rejoice and celebrate and what better way than to honor you, the hero, on his birthday."

"I'm not a hero," Harry said stubbornly.

"You may not see it that way, but so many others do," Ginny said, "And whether or not you like it this party is happening."

"Fine, fine," Harry said, "But all of you hear this…next year on my birthday I want a small intimate family gathering. None of this hoopla."

Harry was ushered up to the attic where Ron and Hermione were already waiting with games and snacks.

The four of them played games, talked and laughed and really caught up with each other like they hadn't in a long time. By the time Hermione and Ginny went down to Ginny's room to go to bed Harry had to admit that the evening had been a lot of fun and well worth being confined to the attic for.

The next morning Harry woke to Ginny slipping into his bed with him and whispering, "Happy Birthday Harry!"

"Good morning," Harry replied with a smile.

"Do you remember what I gave you for your birthday last year?" Ginny asked.

Harry thought back to the scorching kiss she had bestowed upon him in her bedroom a year ago today and grinned at her in response.

"This will rival that in so many ways," Ginny said as she pressed the length of her body intimately against his and pressed her lips to his. His body reacted to her immediately as their tongues met and he felt her bare breasts press against his chest through her thin nightgown. He groaned into her mouth as he felt her hand stoking him gently through his boxer shorts. "Shhhhhh," Ginny giggled, "Ron is sleeping right over there." In response Harry slid his hands under her nightgown and up her naked back. Harry's hands lingered there as he considered sliding them around to the front.

He didn't get further than considering as at that moment Ron's voice floated over to them saying, "Happy Birthday Harry. My gift to you is not coming over there right now and forcibly removing your hands from my sister. Waking up to you two fooling around is my worst nightmare, do not let it happen again because today is your one free pass."

"Sod off Ron," Ginny growled at him, "Like every member of the family hasn't had the misfortune stumbling across you and Hermione this summer."

"It can't have been worse than waking up to it first thing," Ron shot back, "In your own room."

Ginny sighed and untangled herself from Harry. Before she rose from the bed she leaned toward him and whispered, "To be continued, later." Ginny stuck her tongue out at Ron as she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

When Harry's breathing returned to normal he said, "Sorry mate."

Ron groaned before saying, "It's not that I don't understand, it's just that she's my sister. I don't want to wake up to her moaning in bed with my best mate."

"We won't let it happen again," Harry vowed.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Harry," Ron said.

"We'll do our best," Harry said. With that said he rose out of bed and plucked some clothes out of his trunk and headed to the bathroom.

When he headed down to breakfast most of the family was already gathered around the table and at the sight of him everyone cried, "Happy Birthday Harry!" Harry thanked everyone and slipped into the empty seat next to Ginny.

"Is he still angry?" Ginny whispered.

"Less angry, more disturbed," Harry explained in hushed tones, "We need to make sure it doesn't happen again."

As Harry was served a heaping plate of breakfast he noticed all the piles of supplies, decorations and a huge elaborately decorated birthday cake that were around the kitchen and spilling out of the sitting room. Outside the kitchen window he could see a large white tent, like the one used at Bill and Fleur's wedding, being erected in the garden. It was going to be quite the party.

"Normally we'd give you your birthday gifts right now at breakfast," Molly said, "But since the party isn't until later we'll wait."

"No one had to get me anything," Harry muttered, "You let me live in your house for free, that is gift enough."

"Of course we got you gifts," Molly said cheerfully, "And we love having you here."

When breakfast was finished Harry offered to help with the dishes but was turned away on account of today being his birthday. "There has to be something I can do to help with all this party stuff," Harry pleaded.

"Nope," Ginny said pushing him toward the back door, "Why don't you take your broom for a fly. We've got things to do."

"Be back for lunch," Molly called from the sink.

Harry heard the back door click shut behind him. He was somewhat annoyed that while he was allowed to see the party preparations today he was still being pushed out of the way. So it was his birthday and he was spending the morning alone. With a sigh he set off toward the broom shed to fetch his Firebolt but before he got there he decided on something else instead. He apparated to Godric's Hollow and walked toward the cemetery.

When he found his parent's graves he settled himself on the ground in front of them. "Hi," he began, "Today is my 18th birthday. It still seems so unfair to me that I only got to celebrate one birthday with you. Tonight the Weasleys are throwing a huge birthday party for me. It's funny because I don't even want it. I only wanted a nice little family celebration with all of them. I guess because Voldemort is finally gone and people see me as the hero they are using my birthday as an opportunity to really celebrate the end of the war. I understand, and I'm sure it will be loads of fun, but since it is my birthday I wish they'd respect my wishes. I'll try to be a good sport about it though. Ginny's birthday, you remember Ginny, I introduced you to her last time I came by, is in eleven days. I bought part of her birthday present yesterday and the other part I found in your…our…my vault at Gringotts. I'd been planning on buying her a promise ring. I don't think either of us is quite ready to get engaged but we are talking about getting married next summer when school lets out. Yesterday I was at the bank getting some money to buy her birthday present when I found the box of letters and jewelry. You aren't really around to ask but I hope you'd be okay with me giving her one of the rings from in there as a promise ring. I like to think of her wearing something of yours Mom, which Dad gave to you. It makes me feel closer to you. I didn't read the letters but I think someday I might. Ever since I found them I wonder about how the two of you were as a couple. Were you anything like Ginny and me?"

Harry lay back in the grass next to their headstone and thought about them. His eyes closed and the sun was warm upon his face as he imagined how they might have been as a young couple at Hogwarts. He thought about all the birthdays he might have had with them here in this little town. He thought about how different his life might be today had they never been killed. There were all things he'd thought about thousands of times before but somehow those sorts of thoughts always seemed more potent on a day like day, his birthday. Eventually he fell asleep where he lay in the cemetery.

He woke when the sun disappeared behind some clouds and a cool breeze ruffled his hair. He sat up, momentarily unable to place where he was. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was nearly lunchtime and he'd better head back to the Burrow or someone was bound to worry. He stood and brushed grass off himself. He conjured a bouquet of wild flowers and placed them beside the headstone. "Bye," he whispered.

Back at the Burrow Harry found Ginny, Molly, Fleur and Hermione in the kitchen working on food for the party. They directed him toward a plate of sandwiches on the table. When Ginny had a spare moment she settled herself on his lap and gave him a quick kiss. "Where have you been all morning? Ron said your broom was still in the shed." As she ran her hand along his arm she added, "What is this strange mark on your arm?"

Harry rubbed a hand over his arm and chuckled. "I fell asleep in the grass at the cemetery."

"You were at the cemetery all morning?" Ginny asked, "On your birthday?"

"My birthday is one of the days I miss my parents the most," Harry said quietly, "It's not like it was morbid. I went to talk to them and think about them. It was nice."

"And relaxing," Ginny added with a smile.

"Yes," Harry agreed, "I can't believe I fell asleep."

"What did you talk to them about?" Ginny asked.

"How today is my birthday and there is going to be this amazing party in my honor later," Harry said, "I talked to them about your birthday present and some of our plans."

"What plans?" Molly asked, clearly having been listening in on their conversation.

"Ginny and I are co-captaining the Quidditch team this year and we've already started discussing some of our ideas for the team," Harry invented quickly.

Molly's expression changed quickly, clearly not receiving the answer she had anticipated. When she turned back to her work in the kitchen Harry and Ginny shared a secret look that was not missed by Hermione.

"So, what am I expected to wear to the party?" Harry asked, "Robes, muggle clothes, casual, dressy?"

"You can wear whatever you like," Ginny said, "But I would recommend the green shirt you wore on our date."

"Thanks," Harry replied, "Is there anything I can help with now?"

"Nope," Ginny said, "You are not allowed to help with your own birthday party."

"I guess I will go for a fly on my broomstick then," Harry said, "I'll come shower and change for the party in an hour or so."

A few hours later found the household ready for a party. All the food was ready and the decorations were arranged. The family was all freshly washed and clothed and waiting in the garden for their guests to start arriving. Bill and Fleur were already taking advantage of the dance floor on one side of the tent. They were dancing to a quiet tune that Fleur was humming and they looked radiantly happy. Harry wondered if he and Ginny looked that happy when they were together, he hoped so. Just then a pop drew his attention away from the couple.

Kingsley appeared and said, "I'm early but I came with the aurors who will be standing guard around the Burrow. When someone like Harry Potter has a birthday party one can't be too careful. There are still rogue death eaters out there who would love an opportunity like the party tonight to exact some revenge."

Harry hadn't even thought of the risks that were still involved with holding an event like this one, but it made perfect sense and immediately he wished again that this party was not happening. Seeing the expression on Harry's face Kingsley strode over and said, "No worries Harry, nothing bad will happen tonight."

"How can you be sure?" Harry asked.

"Aurors I trained myself are stationed here, they will ensure that no harm comes to anyone tonight. Not to mention all the charms and spells that still protect the Burrow, no one that wasn't invited can infiltrate the party," Kingsley explained.

"Well that makes me feel marginally better," Harry admitted, "But there will not be a party like this next year."

Shortly after this the guests started arriving. Ron hadn't been kidding when he'd said that nearly everyone Harry had ever been friendly with had been invited. Ginny had him stationed with her near the entrance to the tent to greet people as they arrived. In the first five minutes alone he saw Neville, Luna, Dean, Seamus, Dennis, Ernie, Hannah, Oliver, Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Lavender, Justin, Cho and Hagrid. Shortly behind them was a group of Hogwarts staff including Professors McGonagall, Slughorn, Sprout and Flitwick and also Madame Pomfrey and Madame Hooch. Andromeda arrived with Teddy and it was only the arrival of more guests that kept Harry from taking Teddy into his arms. Reed, Noah and the rest of the team of aurors from the Greece mission arrived and Noah teased Harry about his fame. Harry just rolled his eyes and said he'd give it all up in one second if he could. As the group moved further into the tent Harry was amazed to see Aberforth Dumbledore making his way up the garden path. When he drew even with Harry and Ginny he held out his hand to Harry and when Harry accepted it he said, "You done good boy."

Eventually Harry and Ginny moved into the party themselves and chatted with various guests. Harry tired to remain facing the door so he could watch for late arrivals. He noticed quite a few Hogwarts students that he wasn't as close with arriving intermittently. Also, just before Ginny whisked him away to get some dinner he noticed Mr. Ollivander and Mrs. Figg arriving.

Harry filled a plate of food and sat down at a table with Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna. Ginny sat in the empty chair beside him a moment later.

"This is some party!" Neville said as he scanned the tent.

"I can't believe how many people are here," Harry mused as he noticed Neville's grandmother chatting with Kingsley.

"Why not?" Luna asked, "You have to know how famous you are."

Harry scowled a little before saying, "I know I'm famous Luna, but I've never enjoyed that part of being me."

"How much you want to bet the aurors are having a time keeping Rita Skeeter out of here tonight?" Neville asked.

"I'm sure she's behaving herself," Hermione said with a wink at Harry, "If she knows what's good for her."

As Harry ate his food and listened to the buzz of conversation around him he noticed a few more Hogwarts students arrive and suddenly wondered…"Ginny," he asked, "You didn't invite the Dursleys did you?"

"Merlin, no," Ginny replied, "Why would you think that?"

"Nearly everyone else I know is here. I just worried," Harry said.

When they'd finished eating Ginny pulled Harry toward the dance floor. "You need to make up for not dancing with me at Bill and Fleur's wedding."

"You wouldn't have wanted to dance with me anyway, I didn't even look like myself," Harry said.

"Didn't matter," Ginny murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I knew it was still you on the inside." Harry grinned at her and gave in, moving his hands to her waist.

After a time Ginny tightened her arms around Harry's neck and she moved her mouth to his ear to whisper, "Cho Chang can't take her eyes off of you, bet she's sorry the two of you didn't work out."

"I'm not," Harry murmured back, "It never would have worked because she's not you. You are it for me."

Harry felt Ginny's lips connect with his neck before she said, "I hope so, I will not be able to survive ever losing you again."

Harry stopped dancing and disengaged himself from Ginny so that he could look into her eyes, "Ginny, I love you. You mean more to me than anything else in the whole world. I hope you don't have doubts about our future."

"Not doubt," Ginny said, "Just little worries. What if you get bored with me or someone better comes along?"

"That is never going to happen," Harry insisted. He grabbed her by the hand and said, "Come on, I'll prove it to you."

As they swept past Molly and Arthur on the dance floor Harry said, "We'll be right back."

He led Ginny up to his bed in the attic and kissed her hard on the mouth. "Sit down," he commanded. Ginny sat as Harry opened the school trunk at the end of his bed and felt around for the little box. "I was going to save this for your birthday, but it is rather like a present for me too, so tonight works too."

Behind the lid of the trunk where she couldn't see he pulled the ring from the box and held it in his closed fist. When he came back around the trunk he settled onto the bed next to her and said, "I love you and I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you. I know that it's only been a few short months since the war ended and we got back together but it doesn't matter. I know that I will never feel for anyone what I feel for you." He took her hand and slid the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand before saying, "This is a promise ring. With it I'm making my intentions known. I want to you to be my wife. Not now, but soon I will ask you to marry me."

Ginny looked up from the ring, eyes sparkling with tears and said, "I love you Harry."

"You believe me now?" Harry asked, "Short of dying or losing my memory, I will be with you. There is not another person alive who holds the draw for me that you do. I think about you, dream about you and know that you are my home."

Ginny was crying too hard now to reply beyond nodding her head. Harry kissed her before saying, "This ring belonged to my Mother. I'd been planning for a while to give you a promise ring for your birthday, but hadn't purchased one yet. When I was at Gringotts the other day I found a box tucked into a dark corner which held love letters between my parents as well as a collection of jewelry my father gave my mother while they were together. I think they must have hidden it away before taking refuge in Godric's Hollow."

Ginny looked down at the ring and admired it. The delicate band itself was fashioned of four silver pieces that twisted and twined together. In the center was a silver snowden lily with four tiny diamonds set in rose colored gold bezels. "I love it Harry, but are you sure you want me wearing your mother's ring?"

"Yes," Harry said, "It makes me feel closer to them, like they are giving their blessing in a way, by you wearing it."

"Thank you," Ginny said, "I am honored."

"It looks lovely on you," Harry replied as he pulled her to him and kissed her. She settled on his lap and continued the kiss. A few minutes later they could hear Molly calling from the stairs, "Harry, Ginny, you up there? Time to return to the party…"

They straightened out their clothing and returned to the party where Kingsley was standing on the dance floor addressing the crowd. "Harry," he cried jovially when he and Ginny slipped through a side door holding hands, "What kind of mischief have you two been up to. A few of us wanted to make toasts, but we couldn't do that without the birthday boy." Harry and Ginny blushed impressively to whistles and catcalls before claming the two empty chairs at a table near the front.

Once they appeared settled Kingsley began, "Harry, when I, and several others from what I heard, approached Molly and Arthur about a birthday celebration for you I heard that you only wanted a quiet family celebration with the Weasleys. I am sorry to have spoiled your plans but there are too many of us who wanted a part in your day this year. For too many years the wizarding community has been at war and thanks to you Harry, we are finally free from that. I know that you will protest but you were the only one who could end it. We gather together today on your birthday to celebrate the end of the war and your continued survival. Thank you Harry, happy birthday!"

Applause swept through the room as Noah Irvine took center stage. "Harry, I would like to give you my thanks as well, but at a more personal level. When you were made an auror earlier this summer…."

Noah's words were drowned out by the sudden burst of conversation that sprang up in the tent. Noah looked about confused for a moment before understanding that news of Harry being made an auror wasn't widely known yet. He finally continued saying, "Sorry Harry, I guess I let the cat out of the bag. For anyone wondering Harry was officially made an auror at the beginning of the summer and has saved my life on both missions we've been out on together thus far. I was going to say that we got off to a rough start with me being an egotistical prat and assuming that because he'd not yet finished school and had no auror training he wasn't fit to be an auror. I'm here to say, Harry you are bloody brilliant and you make a wonderful auror. I'm glad to have you as colleague and I hope as a friend. Happy Birthday."

More applause and conversation spread through the tent as Noah relinquished the floor to Head Mistress McGonagall. "Harry, as someone who has watched you grow and mature during these last seven years that you have been a part of the wizarding world I would like you to know how proud I, as well as your Parents, Albus, Sirius and Remus, are of you. Undoubtedly, wherever they are now they can see all that you have accomplished and take great pride in your success. I look forward to your return to Hogwarts in the fall! Happy Birthday!"

Applause filled the tent again as Kingsley once again took center stage, "Harry, I will have you know that there are dozens more people who would have liked to stand up here and make toasts to you, but that might take all night. I'm sure they will find their own special way to tell you what you mean to them. If it isn't too much to ask, perhaps we could persuade you to say a few words?"

Harry flushed but stood and moved to the dance floor where Kingsley stood. He squirmed uncomfortable under the watchful eyes of so many but started strongly saying, "Seven years ago today, on my eleventh birthday, I found out that I was a wizard. Since that day my life has changed so drastically. Everyone is so thankful that I helped to end the war but what people fail to see is that apart from me feeling like it was my duty because of my role in all of it, I wanted to fight to protect this way of life. I love being a wizard and the doors that it has opened for me in life. I couldn't imagine not fighting to protect the wizarding ways and people I love. I want to thank all of you for being here tonight. While I didn't want a big party, this is amazing. This is my first birthday in memory that wasn't spent either at my muggle aunt and uncle's house, who hated me, or overshadowed by the war. It's amazing to realize how many friends I truly have. Thank you!"

When the applause finally slowed Mrs. Weasley and Fleur stepped forward with the elaborately decorated birthday cake ablaze with 18 candles. Mrs. Weasley had truly outdone herself with a Quidditch themed cake. The minute details the cake entailed were absolutely amazing. Everyone sang and Harry blew out the candles. The cake was moved off to the side to be cut and served. With the dance floor free again Harry beckoned to Ginny to join him.

"How long until we can sneak off alone together?" Harry whispered into her ear as he pulled her close.

"Not just yet," Ginny said, "You have to have cake, open a few gifts and I know there are people who are waiting to talk to you in person." Harry groaned as he eyed the gift table. "You don't have to open all of those until later, tomorrow if you want, but there are a few special gifts," Ginny explained, "I promise I will make it worth your while later for putting up with all of this."

"You'd better," Harry warned.

"Could I cut in?" Hermione asked when she appeared at their side.

"Sure," Ginny said, "Harry, I'm going to go get us some cake and butter beer."

Harry and Hermione awkwardly drew together before Hermione said, "Harry, I'm sure you could guess that I desperately wanted to give a toast tonight, but since so many of us wanted to they limited it to just three. I wanted to tell you what I would have said." Harry nodded and Hermione continued, "Harry, I want to thank you for being one of my best friends. You have saved my life countless times over the years and my time at Hogwarts was richer because of you. You helped me to learn that sometimes rules were meant to be broken and that is one of the most valuable lessons I've ever learned. Thank you."

"Thank you Hermione," Harry said, "You are one of my best friends too and I can honestly say that without your help I probably would have done much worse in school than I've done so far."

Hermione blushed and said, "Harry I noticed the ring Ginny is wearing, you didn't propose did you?"

"No," Harry whispered, "It's a promise ring. We are going to be married one day, just not quite yet."

Hermione threw her arms around Harry and said, "I'm so pleased that so many things have turned out for you. You deserve the absolute best, Harry."

"I think you do too, Hermione," Harry said.

Molly chose that moment to approach and take her turn dancing with Harry. Hermione left to dance with Ron. Harry could see Ginny return to a table with two plates of cake and butter beer but she looked content to wait for him.

"So Harry, what do you think of the party, alright?" Molly asked.

"It's smashing," Harry said, "I'm having a great time."

"What were you and Ginny sneaking off for earlier?" Molly asked.

"I had to prove something to her," Harry said. When Molly raised an eyebrow at him he continued, "She had a hard time believing that I'm as settled on being with her for the rest of my life as she is with me. I had something upstairs that would prove my level of commitment."

Molly seemed to be holding her breath for a moment before asking, "An engagement ring?"

"No," Harry said, "but it was a promise ring. I was saving it for her birthday but after what she said I made a snap decision to give it to her today. I was going to ask for you and Arthur's blessing before I really proposed to her…"

"You already have our blessing, you are like a son to us already, marrying Ginny would just make it official and you know that nothing would make us happier," Molly said with pride shining in her eyes, "I will ask you to promise the same thing Ginny did…when you two do get engaged please don't elope. We all want to be there on your special day."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Harry promised. Then he added in a whisper, "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome. Now, I see Ginny waiting for you with cake," Molly said as she relinquished him.

"What were you and Mum talking about?" Ginny asked when Harry sat down at the table.

"She wanted to know why we were sneaking away during the party earlier," Harry said.

"What did you tell her?" Ginny asked nervously.

"The truth," Harry said, "I told her about the promise ring and how I plan to ask you to marry me soon."

"What did she say?" Ginny asked.

"She said we had their blessing and they will be proud to welcome me into the family officially," Harry said.

"She didn't say we were too young to be thinking about getting married?" Ginny asked,

"No," Harry said.

"She didn't ask about when we were planning to get married?" Ginny asked.

"All she asked was that when we were ready to get married we don't elope, that we let the whole family be a part of our day," Harry said.

"That is exactly what she said to me," Ginny said quietly.

"When?" Harry asked.

"The day of your last mission my Mom asked me if we were making plans. I denied that we were but I don't think she believed me. She just asked that we not elope when the day came," Ginny said.

"I think she understands how serious we are and how soon this could happen," Harry said.

"Wow," Ginny said, "We're getting married…someday."

"Did none of what I said with the promise ring upstairs mean anything?" Harry said.

"It did, but I guess I always thought my Mom would be a big obstacle. Knowing that she is fine with us getting married just makes it all seem that much more real," Ginny said.

"I know," Harry said with a grin.

After they had finished their cake Ginny dragged Harry over to the dance floor, not to dance but so that she could present him with his birthday gift in front of their guests. With the help of her brothers something large covered in a white sheet was brought to the dance floor. "Harry," Ginny said, "This is a gift to you from the whole family. We all chipped into to get you this." Harry stood and pulled the sheet off a wire cage housing a large brown and white barn owl. "I know that he will never replace Hedwig in your heart, but hopefully he will be just as useful."

"He's beautiful," Harry crooned, "What's his name?"

"He doesn't have one yet," Ginny said, "Do you like him?"

"Yes, he's brilliant, thank you!" Harry said as he opened the cage to stroke his new owl. Nimbly he hopped onto Harry's shoulder and hooted softly.

Next Kingsley stepped forward and handed Harry a small box and said, "This is less of a birthday gift and more of a thank you gift from myself and the auror department. As we have said before, the entire wizarding community owes you a monumental debt of gratitude…please accept this gift as a small token of our thanks."

Harry took the box and opened it to reveal an intricately constructed, goblin made, golden pocket watch. Inside was engraved, _"To Harry Potter for Special Services to the M.O.M."_

"Thank you," Harry said, shaking Kingsley's hand.

The rest of the mountain of gifts could be left until later. Harry had fulfilled his party duties. He mingled with the guests a bit more, danced with Ginny, watched a firework display that George arranged in his honor and when no one seemed to be paying them much attention anymore the two of them slipped out of the tent and made their way to the broom shed. Quietly they took out Harry's broom and took off into the sky. They flew just far enough away to be alone and undetectable to the party guests. Harry conjured a large squashy armchair right in the middle the field they had landed in. They climbed into it and looked up at the stars.

"Thank you Ginny," Harry said, "This was my best birthday ever. I could have done without the big party, but even with it, it was excellent."

"I'm glad," Ginny said as she turned toward him. Her lips met his and they picked up where they had left off that morning when Ron had so rudely interrupted them.

**Author's Note:** Please review!! I love to hear what people are thinking and I always take suggestions from my readers. If anyone has a brilliant idea for what Harry should name his new owl let me know – for some reason I am stumped in that area. I will keep looking and thinking…but let me know! I promise the next update will be much sooner than this last one was. Thanks for reading!

I almost forgot - if you want to see a picture of the promise ring please see my profile and there will be a link.


	15. Happy Birthday Ginny

"Just give me one tiny hint," Ginny pleaded as her mouth trailed slowly along his collar bone.

Harry thrilled at the desire her touch was igniting in him then mentally shook himself, "Gin, it's not fair for you to tease me like that when you ask."

"Whatever do you mean?" Ginny asked innocently.

"You know perfectly well that you are trying to trick the answer out of me with your feminine wiles," Harry accused.

"Feminine wiles?" Ginny smirked at him before saying, "How do you know that I'm not just trying to get into your knickers?"

Harry gaped at her, blushing scarlet and asked, "Are you?"

"Always," was her sly reply, "But a hint about my birthday gift would be much appreciated as well."

"You have to wait until your birthday," Harry insisted.

"Technically it already is my birthday," Ginny reminded him.

"I know, happy birthday!" Harry said, "But you still have to wait until your party to find out what your gift is."

It was just after midnight on August 11th, Ginny's 17th birthday. Harry had returned just a few hours earlier from a weeklong auror training camp that Kingsley and Reed had insisted he make time to attend before heading back to Hogwarts. His auror training would continue as a class once he returned to school but the initial week of training that he'd just endured was not possible to duplicate for him inside the Hogwarts grounds. Currently he and Ginny were catching up in a large squashy armchair he'd conjured for them out in a field. It had become one of their favorite places to get away by themselves.

"How is August?" Harry asked.

"Gus is fine," Ginny replied, "But don't change the subject, I want you to give me a hint about my birthday present."

Ignoring her plea Harry said, "Does he seem to get on well with the others?"

"Of course," Ginny replied, "Even though he is the newcomer the other owls seem to defer to him. You definitely picked the right name for him."

"How so?" Harry asked.

"August means great or magnificent, I looked it up," Ginny said. "He is a beautiful owl and with his natural leadership qualities…he defines magnificent."

"You didn't spoil him with too many owl treats while I was gone did you?" Harry asked.

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "No, your instructions were perfectly clear."

Startling Ginny, Harry asked, "Why do you want a hint about your birthday gift so badly? I've never known you to be so impatient."

"Ron and George were going on about it and now I'm just plain curious," Ginny explained.

"Wouldn't you rather be surprised?" Harry asked.

"I supposed," Ginny admitted.

"One hint," Harry decided. He thought for a moment before saying, "Your brothers can't stop going on about it because they are jealous."

A delighted grin spread across Ginny's face and she said, "I will enjoy imagining what it could be until I get to open it. Thank you."

The couple resumed the activity that had prompted them to move their reunion out to the field. When they finally returned to The Burrow for bed the sky was already several shades lighter.

The next morning found Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione in Diagon Alley. As the party for Ginny's birthday was to be a small family affair Molly had shooed all of them out of the house to enjoy the day while she prepared. Since Ginny was the birthday girl she got to choose what to do and she'd decided on a trip to Diagon Alley. So far they had been into Eyelops Owl Emporium to get more owl treats for August and Ollivanders to say hello to Mr. Ollivander. Hermione had dragged Ron into Flourish and Blotts to browse for books and they hadn't been seen since.

Harry was trying to avoid visiting Quality Quidditch Supplies, if Ginny hadn't already figured out what her birthday gift was he didn't want to point her in the right direction.

"Where next?" Harry asked as they came out of Madame Malkin's robe shop, which Ginny had insisted they visit to buy Harry's new school robes so they could avoid the crowds when they did their back to school shopping in a few weeks time.

"Let's go see how business is at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Ginny suggested. George and Percy had reopened the shop the week before and were getting a steady stream of customers that was bound to turn into a flood once the back to school shopping really got under way.

When the couple entered the store George immediately burst into a loud rendition of 'Happy Birthday' in Ginny's honor. When he'd finished several customers near the front counter applauded and then wished Ginny a happy birthday as well. Blushing furiously Ginny moved further into the store to peruse the Wonder Witch products.

"Harry," George said, "Would you mind manning the counter for a moment? I have to grab something from the back room."

"But I…" Harry spluttered to George's retreating back. Harry eyed the cash register warily hoping that no one would need to be rung up until George had returned. Harry watched Ginny across the store as she wandered, picking up this and that to study. He had missed her fiercely last week while he was away at training. They had been able to deliver letters back and forth to one another using August as it wasn't a mission but it wasn't as good as being with her everyday. Harry was beginning to think more and more that he wouldn't be able to wait until next summer to marry her.

As he watched her Dean and Seamus descended from the upper level and stopped to talk with Ginny. Seamus simply said hello then moved toward a bright display of muggle magic tricks. Dean said hello and pulled Ginny into a hug as he wished her a happy birthday. He engaged her in conversation and Harry didn't like how he looked at her or the way he kept finding reasons to touch her. He knew the jealousy that flooded through him was irrational, Ginny had broken it off with Dean to be with him, but nevertheless, there it was. Watching them made Harry wish that the ring on Ginny's hand was more than a promise ring, after all, promises were meant to be broken. When George returned Harry practically vaulted the counter to return to Ginny's side.

"Hey Dean," Harry said as he smoothly slid an arm around Ginny's shoulders.

"Harry," Dean said as his eyes came to rest on Harry's hand settled on Ginny's shoulder, "How's your summer been."

"Great," Harry said, "How about yours?"

"Good," Dean said, "I have to catch up with Seamus. Talk to you two later."

When Dean had retreated Ginny snickered and said, "That was subtle."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Jealous much?" Ginny teased.

"Now I understand how you felt on my birthday with Cho there, staring," Harry said.

Ginny's eyes softened and she said, "Makes you doubt yourself doesn't it?"

"Oh yeah," Harry said, "I didn't like the way he was looking at you. You are mine."

"Say that last part again," Ginny said softly.

"You are mine," Harry whispered into her ear before dropping a kiss on her neck.

"And you are mine," Ginny whispered back, "Forever."

"Oy," Ron bellowed as he and Hermione came through the shop door, "Get a room."

The connection was broken and as Harry and Ginny looked up Harry couldn't help but notice that Dean was now wearing the jealous expression he himself had been wearing minutes before. He afforded a moment of pity for the guy who had dated Ginny before he had and lost her. He didn't even want to imagine the agony of losing her. Their necessary separation last year had been one thing, losing her for good to another guy would be pure torture. Again he wondered how he would be able to wait until next summer to call her his wife. One of the things he wanted most now that the war was over to have a home of his own with Ginny.

When they'd had their fill of wandering around in Diagon Alley the foursome returned to The Burrow and Harry let Ginny tempt him into going for a broomstick ride. He let her fly while he enjoyed the ride and the feeling of her waist beneath his hands.

When she finally landed Harry was only dimly aware of where they were. So great was the need to capture her mouth with his own. After twenty long minutes in which all communication was limited to a series of touches and the motion of their lips against each other did Harry notice that they were in a wooded clearing he'd never seen before.

"Where are we?" He asked curiously.

"Somewhere I like to come when I need to be alone," Ginny said, "I don't think my brothers have discovered this place yet."

"But you're sharing it with me?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Ginny replied, "It is good that someone else knows where it is. Besides you seem to understand the need for alone time every once in a while, I trust that you'll not follow me here immediately next time I need some time."

"Not unless you are in danger," Harry said.

"Thank you," Ginny said.

Together they sat at the base of a towering oak tree and Harry told her more about the training he'd done the week before. Eventually August found them there and held out his leg so Harry could untie a scroll of parchment. It was in Hermione's handwriting and said, _"Please return to the house so you can prepare for the party, you should have been back half an hour ago." _Somewhat regretfully they climbed back aboard the broomstick and flew toward The Burrow.

"We'll have to come back soon, it was very relaxing there," Harry said.

At The Burrow Harry and Ginny headed to their separate rooms to change for the party. Harry immediately changed clothes then pulled Ginny's wrapped birthday present out of Ron's closet where it had been moved to from the shop. He attached a birthday card to it and propped it next to the door. He tried with little success to tidy his hair before heading down to the kitchen. Ginny was already there wearing a lavender sun dress and beaming at him. As he smiled back at her he decided something he'd been considering all day and excused himself to go back up to the attic for a moment. When he returned the family was seated around a long table out in the garden. Harry took his seat in the empty chair next to Ginny.

"Where did you go?" Ginny asked.

"I forgot something," Harry said simply.

Bill, Fleur and Charlie had all come home for the party and Molly had prepared a fantastic meal full of Ginny's favorites. The family bantered easily during the meal. Only Ginny seemed to notice that Harry was especially quiet. He was trying to figure out in his head the best way to do this.

When the dinner dishes had been cleared away it was time for presents. Arthur and Molly had gotten the traditional 17th birthday present of a watch for Ginny. It was delicate, gold and had a lovely opal face. Bill and Fleur gave her a set of new dress robes in a reddish-pink hue. Charlie gave her a large box of chocolates. Percy and George gave her a range of the Wonder Witch products she'd been eyeing in the store earlier that day. Ron and Hermione gave her a new journal along with some violet ink and a new quill. Finally Ginny came to Harry's gift. He watched her trying to tell if she'd figured out from his hint what he was giving her. He'd honestly be surprised if she hadn't. Her face was neutral as she carefully read the card and started to peel away the wrapping paper.

"Hurry up," Ron urged.

"What do you care?" Ginny said, "It's not your gift."

"Just hurry up!" George echoed.

Ginny tore the rest of the paper off quickly and stood in awe as she studied the broomstick in her hands.

"Wow," Ginny whispered, "Thank you Harry."

"You're welcome," Harry said, "I figured co-captains should at least ride the same model of broom."

"It's brilliant," Ginny said as she bent to kiss him.

While the family ooohed and ahhhed over the broom Mrs. Weasley rose to fetch the birthday cake from the kitchen saying, "If that is the last gift, then I'll just get the cake. Everyone stay put."

Harry's stomach lurched before he found his voice and said, "Actually, that isn't the last gift. I have something else for Ginny."

"How could you possibly have more for Ginny when you bought her this very expensive broom?" Ron asked.

Harry rose unsteadily from his chair and dropped to one knee before Ginny. Out of the corner of his eye he saw eyes widen around the table, they hadn't been expecting this yet, soon, but not yet. He took her hands in his own and said, "Ginny, I know we have only been back together for a few short months and we didn't talk about being engaged this quickly but I can't wait. This is one of those things that I was fighting most for during the last year, just the freedom to be with you. I want to be with you forever. So why wait, I want to know that you are mine, forever. Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Ginny cried enthusiastically after the initial shock faded. She pulled him up from where he knelt. She crushed her lips to his before pulling back and repeating, "Yes!"

Harry pulled the ring he had purchased at a muggle jewelry shop last week while he was away on training out of his pocket. He gently removed the lily ring from her finger and replaced it with the diamond and emerald ring he'd decided upon. It was a solitaire diamond flanked by two emerald side stones on a yellow gold band. Ginny's eyes filled with tears as she studied it. "I didn't expect this today," she said, "Why now?"

"We'll talk about it later, alone," Harry whispered.

Ginny took the lily ring out of his hand and slipped it onto a finger of her right hand. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Harry deepened the kiss, forgetting for the moment that they weren't alone.

"Might we offer our congratulations?" Arthur asked with a chuckle.

Blushing the couple separated and let the family hug and congratulate them.

"When were you thinking about getting married?" Molly asked.

Ginny looked at Harry and said, "When we were discussing earlier this summer we were planning for June, when school got out, but I'm guessing that Harry has a different idea since he is proposing earlier than I expected."

"How about a Christmas wedding?" Harry asked.

Ginny's face glowed and she threw herself into Harry's arms again, she was clearly pleased with this plan, "Mum, can you help me plan a Christmas wedding? Is that enough time?" Ginny asked over Harry's shoulder.

Molly nodded and Fleur said, "I will help of course, a Christmas wedding will be so beautiful! But we should probably shop for your dress and bridesmaid dresses before you go back to school."

Ginny got pulled into a conversation about wedding plans with Molly, Fleur and Hermione while Harry was clapped on the back and officially welcomed to the family by the men of the family. From opposite ends of the table Harry and Ginny's eyes would meet and they would share a happy smile.

Eventually the birthday cake was remembered and Molly went to fetch it. Molly brought out a cake blazing with seventeen candles. They sang and urged her to make a wish. Ginny paused and said, "I don't know what to wish for, it already came true." She thought for a moment before blowing out the candles to applause.

The cake was enjoyed and the family pretended not to notice when Harry and Ginny climbed aboard their brooms and took off to spend a little time alone. Ginny flew them toward the same wooded clearing she had shared with him earlier that day. When they landed Harry conjured an armchair and they collapsed into it, already joined at the lips.

When the need to come up for air was finally too great Ginny asked, "Not that I'm not thrilled, but explain to me why now, I wasn't expecting you to propose until at least Christmas time."

"There are so many reasons," Harry said, "So many that it seemed silly to wait for something I wanted to much."

"Well I want to hear some of the reasons," Ginny insisted.

"Most of them you have heard before," Harry admitted, "I love you, I want to be with you forever and move into a home with you when school is out and make love to you…"

"So, let's hear the new ones and what prompted you to propose today," Ginny said.

Harry blushed and said, "Well there were two things. One was how much I missed you while I was away training last week. I know that getting married won't change my having to go away for my job, but it just confirmed for me how much I wanted forever to start now. At least if we were married the good-byes and reunions would be truly spectacular."

Ginny giggled and said, "You want to get married sooner because you can't wait to get me in bed."

Harry blushed even brighter and grinned sheepishly at her before saying, "I won't deny it but that is just one small reason."

"So what is the second reason?" Ginny asked.

"Remember today when I got jealous over Dean and you?" Harry asked, "I want to be engaged to you when we go back to school so that there is no doubt in anyone's mind that you are mine. I don't want any of your ex-boyfriends to entertain the idea that they are going to break us up…or anyone else for that matter."

"Well that works for me," Ginny said, "You realize that after you defeated Voldemort you are the most eligible bachelor in the wizarding world. If there is a ring on my finger when we go back it will hopefully help to quell the flood of girls who now want you to be theirs."

"So you're okay with moving up the wedding?" Harry asked.

"I would marry you right now if you asked," Ginny asked, "Except for the fact that my Mum made both of us promise that the family could be there when we get married."

"I just realized that when we return to school after Christmas we will be married," Harry said.

"Didn't think past the wedding night did you?" Ginny teased.

"No, not really," Harry said.

"I wonder if they will let us stay together," Ginny mused.

"Exactly what I was wondering," Harry said, "Do you know if any Hogwarts students were ever married while still in school?"

"I have no idea," Ginny said, "But they are bound to make an exception for you, you're Harry Potter after all. Hey, I'm going to be Ginny Potter!"

"I can't wait," Harry said happily.

"Me neither," Ginny said as her eyes filled again with happy tears.

"Happy Birthday Ginny. I love you," Harry said.

"This has been my best birthday ever," Ginny said, "Thank you."

**Author's Note:** Ta-da! Let me know what you think. A big thank-you to DukeBrymin who encouraged me to move up the wedding…which I had been considering anyway. I hope it feels true to the story. Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions for me! Thanks for reading! I am hoping to get another chapter done sometime this week – or next week for sure.

Oh and for a picture of Ginny's engagement ring see my profile I will post a link.


	16. Details

Harry's lips skimmed over the delicate skin of Ginny's neck as he sat beside her on the love seat.

"Could you at least pretend that you are listening?" Ginny scolded as she leaned out of his reach.

"Hmmm?" Harry asked lazily as her pulled back toward him.

"I'm trying to discuss plans for our wedding and you're not even listening," Ginny said somewhat angrily.

"I'm sorry Gin," Harry said, "I'll try harder. It is just that you are so distracting and honestly we could get married in our pajamas out by the shed and it would still be the happiest day of my life."

"I understand that," Ginny said, a small smile breaking through her annoyance, "But if you could keep in mind that I have been dreaming about my wedding since I was a little girl and it is important to me, I would appreciate it."

"I'm sure whatever you, Fleur and your Mum decide will be fine," Harry said.

"I would like your opinion through," Ginny said,

"Okay," Harry said, "I'm going to move to this chair over here and then maybe I can concentrate better on what you're saying."

Ginny smirked and shook her head, it was too hard to stay mad at him when what was distracting him was the exact thing that distracted her most of the time too. "We got confirmation on both the minister and the church in Godric's Hollow for December 23rd. I have met with and ordered my gown from that French dress designer that Fleur insisted I use. I have chosen the bridesmaid's dresses but we can't order them until I know how many bridesmaids I am having. Have you figured out who you want to have stand up for you?"

Harry nodded and said, "Ron, Neville and George."

"Okay," Ginny said, "Then I'm going to ask Hermione, Fleur and Luna."

"We can ask Bill and Charlie to be ushers?" Harry asked.

"What about Percy?" Ginny asked.

"We could have three ushers, right?" Harry asked.

"I don't see why not," Ginny agreed she scanned her notes before continuing, "You'll have to pick out some dress robes for you and the groomsmen and ushers to wear when we go into Diagon Alley to get our stuff for school, okay? The flowers and décor is pretty much all going to be Christmassy. Do you have an opinion on what kind of food is served at the reception?" When Harry shook his head she continued, "The reception is going to be in a heated tent back at the Burrow. I would like your help picking out the invitations and the cake."

"Okay," Harry agreed.

"Um…where are we going to go for the wedding night?" Ginny asked, "We won't have a place of our own yet since we'll still be in school and I don't fancy our first time together to be in my bedroom with my brothers and parents under the same roof."

"Let me take care of that, I have a plan," Harry offered.

"What is it?" Ginny asked curiously.

"It's a secret," Harry said.

"Are we going to go on a honeymoon?" Ginny asked.

"If you want to," Harry said. "We could leave the day after Christmas and plan to get back in time to catch the train back to Hogwarts after New Year's."

"That would give us a little over a week," Ginny calculated, "Where shall we go?"

"Where do you want to go?" Harry asked.

"Somewhere warm!" Ginny said.

"Okay, how about I handle that too," Harry offered.

"Thank you," Ginny said.

"What else?" Harry asked.

"This is awkward but I have to buy you a ring…" Ginny began.

"But you don't have any money," Harry finished, "I forgot to tell you, I added your name to my account at Gringotts and I have an extra key for your upstairs. My money is your money too and I want you to pay for whatever you can with it. Your parents don't have to finance this wedding."

"But they want to," Ginny said, "I'm their only daughter."

"I know, but try to pay for some of it with our money," Harry said, "They don't need to pay for all of it."

Ginny smiled and said, "I like the sounds of that; our money."

"Get used to it," Harry said with a grin, "A lot of things are going to become 'ours' soon."

"Do you want to use the standard vows or shall we write our own?" Ginny asked.

"Let's write our own," Harry said, "It's more personal that way."

"I was hoping you would say that," Ginny said happily.

"Anything else?" Harry asked.

"That is it for now," Ginny said.

"Good," Harry said as he moved back onto the love seat with her and pulled her to him. Ginny giggled as Harry's mouth found its way to the sensitive spot beneath her ear.

"Oy, you two," Ron bellowed from the doorway, "Get off each other and come open your school letters, they've just arrived."

Composing themselves they headed into the kitchen to open their letters. Harry was surprised to see how thick his letter was, much bulkier than he'd remembered it being ever before. He opened the envelope and there was a clatter of metal on the table as he slid the folded letter out of the envelope. Expecting only to see his Quidditch Captain's badge he was surprised when he looked down and also saw a Head Boy badge. He let out a sigh, he really hadn't wanted that.

Hermione shrieked in surprise when she, Ginny and Ron also pulled a Head Boy or Girl badge from their envelopes, "Four Head Students this year?"

"What?" Ron asked in surprise.

Hermione unfolded her letter and read to the group, _"Dear Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny, After the tumultuous year Hogwarts (as well as the entire wizarding world) saw last school year I and the entire Hogwarts faculty agreed that extra Head Students and Prefects might ensure that things get back to usual and remain controlled through out the upcoming school year. Not to mention that all of you are so busy with other activities that it might work out best to have more coverage._

_We felt that the four of you most deserved this honor due to your heroic actions last year whether they were demonstrated in or outside of Hogwarts. We feel that the other students will look up to you and respect your authority. _

_Harry, I know that you expressed a desire not to be made Head Boy, but I'm hoping that in light of the changes made to the post you will be willing to accept this honor. _

_As you may or may not be aware the Head Students have always enjoyed the privilege of their own private dormitories separate from their houses. This year there will be two Head dormitories. The first will be shared by Hermione and Ginny and the second by Harry and Ron. When you return from Christmas break one of the dorms will be converted into a kind of residence for the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Potter (Congratulations!) and Ron and Hermione will share the other, which will be modified to afford each a certain measure of privacy._

_Looking forward to seeing you all back at school for one final year!_

_Headmistress Minerva McGonagall."_

Harry and Ginny grinned at each other across the table; the knowledge that the dilemma of sleeping arrangements had been sorted out without their even having to inquire was wonderful to hear. Harry heartily looked forward to sharing a dorm with Ginny after they were married. He could just imagine the baths they could enjoy in the swimming pool sized bathtub in the Head's bathrooms and sleeping in together on Saturday mornings and…

"When should we head to Diagon Alley to buy our school things?" Hermione asked, interrupting Harry's reverie.

"Anyone busy today?" Ron asked.

Harry and Ginny shook their heads.

"Shall we go after lunch then?" Hermione asked.

Everyone agreed.

As the four of them prepared to disapparate to Diagon Alley Harry worried slightly about appearing in public after the news of his and Ginny's engagement. He was used to the attention but he felt bad dragging Ginny into the spotlight with him. He hoped that people would just see that they were happy and leave well enough alone. A few days after he had proposed a story appeared about their engagement on the front pages of the Daily Prophet. Harry wondered who the source had been. The details in the story were all accurate but the source was only listed as someone close to the couple.

"Ready?" Ginny asked as she linked an arm through his. "It will be fine," she whispered as she smiled up at him, understanding what he was looking worried about.

"I hope so," Harry said.

After a quick trip into Gringotts to withdraw some gold from their vault the four of them headed to Flourish and Blots to get the books listed in their letter. Harry was glad to see that the store was mostly empty.

"What do you think it means when on the book list for Defense Against the Dark Arts it says, to be determined?" Ron asked.

"Probably that they haven't figured out who is going to teach that class yet," Hermione reasoned, "No one wants that job."

As Harry paged through his school list he noticed a sheet of paper that he hadn't noticed previously. It was a letter from McGonagall.

_Dear Harry,_

_I have a request to ask of you. I'm hoping that you have time to come out to Hogwarts so I can discuss the matter with you in person. Don't worry about scheduling a time with me; just come when it is most convenient to you. _

_See you soon,_

_Headmistress Minerva McGonagall_

Harry showed the letter to Ginny and asked her if she would mind picking up the rest of his school supplies so he could go meet with her. Ginny nodded and Harry reminded her that he had almost nothing, all his school things had been burned in his Aunt and Uncle's house. "No problem," Ginny said and gave him a quick kiss.

Harry stepped outside of the shop before apparating outside the gates to Hogwarts. It was a glorious summer day and Harry worked up a sweat by the time he reached the front doors. The air in the stone hallways felt cool and refreshing. As Harry approached the stone gargoyle outside the headmaster's office he realized that if there was a password he didn't know what it was. Feeling silly he stepped up to the statue and said, "Er…Harry Potter here to see the Headmistress." Nothing happened. Harry tried again, "I'm here to see Headmistress McGonagall….is she up there?"

"The password is Potter," said Headmistress McGonagall behind him.

"Oh," Harry said as he whirled around to face her, "Hello."

"How are you Harry?" she asked.

"Fine, how are you?" Harry replied.

"I'm well, thank you for asking," She said, "Would you mind taking a little walk while we discuss the matter at hand?"

"Sure," Harry agreed. Together they strolled out of the castle into the magnificent sunlit grounds. "The castle looks good, I don't see too many reminders of the battle."

"Yes, it cleaned up well," she said, "Harry, as you may be aware we are having a hard time finding someone to take up the Defense Against the Dark Arts post. We have worked out a solution but only if you agree to help us out. Six of the teachers have agreed to take on the Defense class for one year of students. However, we are short one teacher to take on the seventh years. It was suggested that with a little guidance you could teach the class, after all you taught the majority of the seventh year students while you were running the DA." Harry was stunned into silence. Taking this as bad news Headmistress McGonagall launched into another line of reasoning, "You are also an auror which gives you the credentials to take on the class without too many raised eyebrows."

"I'm not sure how comfortable I am with teaching my peers," Harry said.

"We did consider putting you in charge of the first years, but we worried that with your celebrity you might be more of a distraction for them than anything," Headmistress McGonagall said.

"Well, it might be okay," Harry said, "Does this mean that I'm not taking Defense Against the Dark Arts this year?"

"As the teacher you would be exempt," she explained, "Not to mention that you defeated Voldemort, there isn't anyone who needs the class less than you."

"Can I think it over and let you know by tomorrow sometime?" Harry asked.

"Certainly," she said with a smile, "I'm sure that Ginny, Hermione and Ron will be able to help you decide."

"For the record, I'm leaning toward yes, but I need to think it over just a bit more," Harry said.

"Good!" Headmistress McGonagall said with a smile, "Can I walk you back to the front gates? I dare say that you'll need to be getting back to your finance."

"We were in Diagon Alley shopping for school supplies when I noticed your letter," Harry said, "Otherwise I would have come sooner."

"Not a problem," she said, "Congratulations on your engagement! How very exciting."

"Thank you, we are very happy," Harry said.

As they approached the gate she added, "I will expect an owl from you by tomorrow evening. And please give Ginny my congratulations as well."

"Thank you," Harry said. As soon as he was outside the gates he turned and apparated back to Diagon Alley. He checked three stores before he found them stocking up on parchment, quills and ink.

"That was quick," Ginny said when she spotted him, "What did she want?"

"Well, how much shopping is left to do?" Harry asked.

"A bit, why?" Ginny asked.

"This is the kind of conversation that goes best over a sundae," Harry said, "Besides I need everyone's undivided attention for this."

"That bad?" Ginny asked with a grimace, "And I was hoping for a stress free school year for once."

"It's not bad at all, I just have a decision to make and I would like everyone's opinion," Harry explained.

"Another decision?" Ron asked, "Why does everything happen to you?"

"I don't know," Harry said, "Let's finish up the shopping then I'll treat everyone to ice cream and we can talk about it."

Harry and Ginny quickly bought Harry a new cauldron, scales and potions ingredients for both of them. They also visited Eyelops Owl Emporium to pick up more owl treats for August. Finally they stopped by Madame Malkin's to pick up the school robes they had ordered the week before and to pick up dress robes for the wedding. When they had finished with all of it they met Ron and Hermione at the newly reopened Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Harry placed an order for all four of them and once they were seated at an outside table enjoying their ice cream he began.

"So I know why the book list said, 'to be determined' for Defense Against the Dark Arts," Harry said, "You were right Hermione, they cannot find a teacher for that post, no one wants the job. Six of the current Hogwarts teachers have offered to take on the defense classes for the first through sixth years. The first through sixth years probably have books assigned based on which teacher is assigned to their year. There is no one to take on the seventh year class though. Professor McGonagall wanted to see me today to ask me if I would be willing to teach the defense class for the seventh years. I guess since I already taught most of them when we were doing the DA and I'm an auror I'm the best option. I wondered what you all thought of that. Do you think I can pull of teaching a class?"

"Absolutely," Hermione said, "You were a wonderful teacher when we were holding DA meetings. Remember how quickly everyone caught onto the things you taught us. You'll be excellent."

"You'll be the best teacher we've had since Lupin," Ron said, "Plus we can count on you not to assign pointless homework like some teachers."

Harry was surprised when he turned to Ginny that she looked upset. "Gin?" Harry asked, "What do you think?"

"Can you two give us a few minutes?" Ginny asked Ron and Hermione. When they had moved to a table on the other side of the patio she said, "Why is it always you?" Harry opened his mouth to respond but she shook her head and continued, "No, I get it, you are the best person for this job and you will be brilliant…what I mean why does it have to be you. I'm already going to have to fight for your time this year; between Quidditch and being Head Boy and Auror Training and possibly auror missions and now a teaching post…am I going to get to see you at all?"

Harry chuckled and said, "Is that why you're upset?"

Ginny punched him in the arm and said, "It's not funny."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, "I know that I'm going to be busy but you know that will always be my number one priority. Besides we will spend loads of time together playing Quidditch and doing rounds as Head Boy and Girl. We will see a lot of each other than it seems like, I promise."

Ginny sighed and said, "I know, I'm being irrational, I just get tired of sharing you sometimes."

"I get that Ginny, I do," Harry said, "I thought you wanted me to come back to school."

"I do," Ginny said.

"Well then you just need to understand what there are going to a lot of demands on my time. But no matter how busy I am, you are always most important and above any of my other commitments I am yours. Okay?" Harry asked.

"Okay," Ginny said sheepishly, "You really will be a brilliant teacher. How many people get their own fiancé as their teacher?"

"Alright?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ginny said quietly.

"I need to send an owl to Professor McGonagall to let her know my decision by tomorrow morning, are you sure you're okay with this?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Ginny said, "Everyone should get to benefit from the things you can teach them."

"Thank you," Harry said.

"Why are you thanking me?" Ginny asked.

"I wouldn't do this if you weren't okay with it," Harry said, "And I really want to do this."

"Just make sure you give me an O," Ginny said with a grin, "Okay?"

Harry chucked and said, "I'm sure you will be a model pupil."

Harry waved Ron and Hermione back over. The four ate their ice cream and talked excitedly about heading back to school. It was amazing how normal it seemed after how very different things had been just few months before. When all the ice cream had been consumed they decided to go visit Percy and George at the shop before heading back to the Burrow.

As the afternoon wore on Diagon Alley had become more and more congested with people doing their back to school shopping. When they entered the shop it was crowed with people and the four of them were quickly recruited to help restock and ring up customers.

Harry stowed all their back to school shopping purchase in the apartment above the shop before grabbing a large box of skiving snack boxes from the back room to restock the shelves. As he reentered the store and moved toward the skiving snack box display he saw that Ron and Hermione were ringing up sales behind the counter. He scanned the crowd for Ginny, maybe she could help him with the snack boxes. He continued searching the crowd for her as he moved toward the empty snack box shelves. Finally he spotted her in the middle of a crowd of girls, including Lavender and Pavarti, who were asking her a myriad of questions as they admired her ring. Harry grinned and continued onto the shelves by himself. She would find him when she got away from that lot.

Harry stacked the snack boxes onto the shelves for the next half an hour before realizing that Ginny still hadn't come to find him. He looked over to where he had last seen her and didn't see her there. He stood from where he was kneeling in front of the shelves and scanned the store for her. He moved further into the store and was surprised to see her near the back corner talking to Dean. Harry's eyes narrowed as he moved toward them. As Harry came up behind Dean he could see the discomfort as well as some anger in Ginny's eyes. When Ginny spotted him relief washed over her face and she said, "Dean, here's Harry you can congratulate him yourself."

When Dean turned Harry could tell by his expression that congratulating him was the last thing on his mind, "Hey Harry," he said, "So you and Ginny are engaged. You didn't waste any time did you?"

"I guess not," Harry said, "But now that the war is over I just want to be with her, forever."

"So when is the wedding?" Dean asked.

"December 23rd," Ginny said.

"Four months, that's not a lot of time," Dean said.

"If you ask me it's too much time," Harry said. Sensing that Dean wasn't going to run out of comments any time soon he said, "Ginny, can you help me get more of the prank wands from the back room?"

"Sure," Ginny said as she moved to Harry's side.

"See you on September first Dean?" Harry asked. Dean nodded and Harry added, "Enjoy the rest of your summer."

When Harry and Ginny were safely closed into the back room Harry asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ginny said angrily her brown eyes flashing, "I can take care of myself you know."

"I know you can," Harry said, "I wasn't coming to rescue you, but it looked like he had your cornered."

"I'm not mad at you," Ginny practically snarled at him, her cheeks flushed deeply pink.

"Then who are you mad at?" Harry said, "I don't understand."

"Myself and him," Ginny said, "I'm mad at myself for letting his comments get to me and letting myself get cornered by him. I'm mad at him because, what right does he have to say those sorts of things to me? How dare he?"

"What did he say?" Harry asked.

"That you stole me from him and we should still be together and he's going to all he can to win me back," Ginny said, "Doesn't he remember that I broke up with him to be with you? It has always been you, since I was about six. He said you don't deserve me."

"He might be right about that last point," Harry said.

"How can you say that?" Ginny asked.

"Did he threaten you?" Harry asked.

"No, he basically threatened you though," Ginny said, "Nothing specific but he kept saying things like he would prove to me just how unworthy you were."

"We'll have to keep an eye on him and make sure that he doesn't corner you again," Harry said.

"What about you?" Ginny asked.

"I can take care of myself too," Harry said, "You're okay though?"

"Yes, just angry," Ginny said, "How could I ever have dated someone so vile?"

"Jealously brings out the worst in people," Harry said as he pulled her into his arms, "Can I tell you something though?"

"What," Ginny said as her rage started to dissolve a bit.

"You are amazingly irresistible when you are angry," Harry said, "The way your eyes look and the color you turn, I might just have to take to provoking you every now and then so I can see you like this again."

In response Ginny pushed him against the wall and kissed him heartily.

**Author's Note:** I am on a roll…two new chapters in as many days – thank my job for being very slow at the moment. I know that Harry teaching the Defense class is not a new idea but it just makes so much sense. Please review and let me know if you have any suggestions! The next chapter will be their return to Hogwarts!! Thanks for reading! Best!


	17. Memories

It was just after dawn the morning of August 31st, the day before they would board the Hogwarts Express for their seventh and final year of school. Ginny was lying in her bed wondering if Harry would be back from his emergency mission soon enough to take the train with her, Ron and Hermione. This year would not start off feeling any different than last year if Harry was not sitting next to her, holding her hand and distracting her from remembering the ride to school last year. Two days ago Noah had sent an owl to the Burrow asking if Harry was available to come out on a quick but urgent mission with him before heading back to Hogwarts. When Harry saw the fear on Ginny's face he offered to skip out on this mission but she could see in his eyes how much he wanted to go. Harry told her that Noah could choose someone else to help him with the mission but Ginny wouldn't hear of it. She didn't want Noah, Reed or Kingsley to think that now that they were to be married she was going to stand in the way of Harry's career. She was just hoping that Harry wouldn't be injured on two missions running. Noah promised that he'd have him back by this evening but Ginny wasn't convinced, missions could be so unpredictable.

She had spent the last couple days doing laundry and packing both his and her trunks to return to Hogwarts. Yesterday she had gone to Diagon Alley to pick up a few things they had forgotten when they did their back to school shopping and she'd even helped out at the shop for a few hours. But now that all the packing was done she was out of things to keep her busy. During the other missions Harry had gone on over the summer Ginny had learned that she coped better with his absence and her fear if she kept herself occupied. So she'd been helping her mother with chores around the house and knitting obsessively. She was probably more worried this time around than she had been the other two times, since he'd been injured on the last mission.

As she lay in her bed trying to get a little bit more sleep she thought about what she could busy herself with today and was coming up blank. She let her mind wander and studied the ring on her left hand as it sparkled in the early pinkish light coming through her open window. She smiled as she thought again that she couldn't believe that she and Harry were really getting married in just a few short months. After the initial shock wore off she was just so thrilled that they would return to Hogwarts engaged and all Harry's admirers would know that he was hers now, for good. She thought back happily to the day they had started being a couple, back in his sixth year and her fifth year.

_The common room was packed with Gryffindors waiting for Harry to return from his detention. Though he had not been allowed to play in the final match today he was their captain and he had led them to this victory, they all wanted to celebrate with him. Ginny paced the room; she couldn't wait for him to hear the news. He had named her the captain and seeker in his place and she had wanted to win this for him. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Dean watching her and she turned her back to him. He was still upset with her for breaking things off between them, but she wasn't sorry. They had been fighting about more and more things lately and if she was being perfectly honest with herself she had never fancied Dean as much as she fancied Harry. But, she wasn't going to let herself think about that now, things were never going to happen between the two of them. He just didn't see her the same way she saw him and it wouldn't do to ruin this moment dwelling on it._

_Suddenly the portrait hole opened and the common room exploded with the racket of everyone screaming at Harry that they had won the Quidditch Cup. Ginny craned her neck around the crowd trying to catch Harry's eye. When she did catch a glimpse of him he was doing the same, craning his neck over the throng of people surrounding him to find someone. Their eyes met and she realized he was looking for her. Dodging around the bodies blocking her path she hurtled toward him and screamed, "We won!" as she flung herself into his arms, and to her complete and utter astonishment, he kissed her. For a moment the only thing she was consciously aware of was his lips upon hers. When the contact was broken a comical look of shock crossed his face as the room behind her went utterly silent. A smattering of giggling and wolf whistles broke out as Harry seemed to scan the crowd for someone. He must have found them because he kind of nodded at them before asking her if she would like to take a walk around the grounds with him. She agreed of course, her heart was pounding wildly and she kept wondering if this was really happening. _

Even though circumstances had forced them apart a few weeks later she would always consider that day to be when they had become a couple. During the long months that he was away she'd willed herself not to care, to hate him even, but she couldn't. She loved him and waited for him and in her heart they had never really parted. That night, when she'd found him in the astronomy tower and they'd officially gotten back together, was more of a formality than anything, as far as she was concerned. He was the only one for her; of course she took him back. As she let her eyes drift closed she let herself return again to that joyous day over a year ago when they had become an us.

_The two barely spoke as they made their way through the corridors and out onto the grounds, but Harry kept a firm hold on her hand. In the few brief glances they shared as they navigated the castle Ginny thought she read both utter elation and sheer panic in Harry's eyes. Perhaps the kiss had been as spur of the moment as it had seemed and now he wasn't sure how to proceed. Ginny smiled to herself and vowed that no matter how flustered Harry seemed she wasn't going to let him back out of this. He'd kissed her, there had to be something there. Eventually Harry stopped walking and asked somewhat nervously if she'd like to sit by the lake. Ginny agreed and they sat. While Ginny had endless things she wanted to say she patiently waited for him to speak first._

_Still holding tight to her hand he shyly looked at her and said, "I can't believe I did that."_

"_Are you sorry?" She asked him._

"_Merlin, no," Harry breathed, "I only wished I'd had the courage to do it sooner. And I'm rather hoping to do it again."_

_Ginny carefully leaned toward him and gently kissed him on the lips but before she let things go any further she decided that there were a few things they needed to discuss._

_She pulled back and asked, "How long?" Harry looked at her quizzically and she rephrased, "How long have you fancied me? Assuming that is what the kiss meant, of course."_

_Harry blushed and grinned widely before admitting "Of course that is what it meant. I don't know exactly, sometime this year certainly, maybe since summer."_

"_What do you mean by maybe?" Ginny asked._

"_I think that things changed between us as far back as summer but I didn't figure things out until later when they kind of hit me over the head," Harry explained as he studied their still clasped hands. _

_Ginny scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder, "You know," she said, "I've hoped for this for years but if you are just in it for a bit of snogging then I can't get started with you, it would break my heart."_

"_Do you really think I'm that kind of guy?" Harry asked sounding a bit hurt._

"_No, but I just wanted to be clear," Ginny said, "I've fancied you for too long for this just to be…"_

"_A bit of snogging," Harry finished for her. He sat quietly for a minute, obviously thinking. She knew that he was not typically the type to put his feelings out there but she hoped that he understood what she needed to hear from him. Finally he said, "Ginny more than anything I want to be with you. I love spending time with you; you make everything better. It is like you are a part of me that I just discovered was missing. I want to learn everything about you that I don't already know." He appeared ready to continue but she stopped him with another gentle kiss._

"_That is more than I ever hoped to hear from you," Ginny said happily as she pulled him back to her and gave him a real kiss. Her hands wound themselves into the untidy hair that she'd always longed to touch and attempt to tame with her own hands. His hands began rather uncertainly on her shoulders but as the kiss deepened his shyness fell away and they moved down to rest lightly on her waist. _

_As she kissed him she marveled at being this close to him, to touch him like she'd always dreamed. Her hands explored his hair, his chest, his back, his hands; she couldn't get close enough and it would never be enough. She wanted to remain in his arms forever. She'd done her fair share of snogging with previous boyfriends, but it had never felt quite like this. _

_When they finally drew apart to catch their breath Harry began to disengage but Ginny whispered softly, "Hold me, Harry." With a satisfied sounding breath he hugged her tightly to his chest and buried his face in her hair breathing her in. "I love the way you smell," he whispered._

_At that very moment her heart was as full as it had ever been. She wanted to tell him that she loved him; that there was no possible way she could ever love anyone else the way she loved him; but she didn't want to scare him off. She wondered if he felt as right about the two of them as she did; Merlin, she hoped so._

_Eventually they got back to holding hands and talking, which in Ginny's opinion was a wonderful excuse to really study his beautiful emerald green eyes like she'd always wanted to. Luckily he seemed as content in staring into her eyes as she was staring into his._

"_I don't ever want to go back to the castle," Harry said suddenly._

"_Because you're having such an amazing time out here with me?" Ginny asked._

"_Partly," Harry confessed, "And partly because I'm afraid to face Ron."_

_Ginny huffed and said, "Ron should mind his own business."_

_Harry smiled crookedly at her and said, "Ron is why I kept my feelings to myself all year. I thought he'd be upset with me for fancying you."_

"_He might be," Ginny agreed, "But it's none of his business."_

"_When Ron confronts me, as he inevitably will, what's the story?" Harry asked._

"_The story?" Ginny asked, "Just tell him the truth."_

"_Which is?" Harry asked._

"_What do you want it to be?" Ginny asked softly. The butterflies in her stomach started up again as she waited for his response._

"_That we're dating?" Harry suggested and at her nod of agreement he added more confidently, "And I'm your boyfriend now."_

_She smiled happily at him before moving close enough to draw him into another deep kiss. This time his hands threaded into her hair and when the kiss ended he held her there with their foreheads pressed together, gazing into each others eyes. She wasn't sure anything had ever felt so perfect._

_When the sky began to darken and their clothing was no longer adequate against the chill in the evening air they reluctantly headed back up to the castle. Harry fidgeted beside her and she knew that he was anxious about Ron and everyone that had witnessed their kiss earlier. Ginny understood his concern but didn't share it. She was elated to walk back into the common room on his arm and have everyone know that they were finally together. _

Ginny woke a couple hours later and could still feel the smile on her face. It ranked as one of her best days ever. During the time that Harry had been away during the last year it had been both a blessing and a curse to think back on that day. She still loved him and when she was missing him most it was a nice memory to look back on but as soon as she'd remembered all of it, it made her heart ache for him and she sometimes wished she could turn it off.

Rolling over she peered at her watch on her bedside table and determined that it was not too early to get up. Ginny sighed as she pulled clean clothes from her dresser, another day to fill while she waited for Harry. She hoped again that he would be home in time to board the train with her, but if not she knew that he would get to Hogwarts eventually and return to her side. Until then she would just have to entertain herself with more good memories of the two of them together.

**Author's Note: **Hi All! This chapter took me by surprise. I have been reading A LOT of fan fiction lately and I really wanted to write about what happened directly after H & G's first kiss…I considered a one-shot but realized that I could just as easily make it a part of this story. I hope that everyone enjoys and isn't too upset that most of this chapter is a flashback. I promise that the next chapter will be about returning to school. You will have to wait and see though if Harry makes the train on time.

To _**terraferme: **_You have your messaging set to off so I cannot respond to you via …yes please keep sending me emails with my errors! Thank you! I always go back and edit after your emails, they are much appreciated. If I was more consistent about when I write for my stories I'd consider getting a beta…but unfortunately I'm never sure when I'm going to have time to write. Thank you!!

Please review! Let me know what you think and if there is any great ideas you have for me – I love hearing others ideas and as many of you know, I often tend to use them!!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Tinkerbell


	18. Homecoming

**Harry  
**

Harry was seated next to Noah in Reed's office listening to a lecture about the number of rules they had broken while out on the current mission. Normally Reed was willing to overlook the cavalier way two of his most promising aurors disregarded the rules, that were there to protect them, but today he was not being so forgiving. The difference was that the previous two missions Harry and Noah had collaborated on had resulted in captures of their targets, and this time they had failed. It wasn't their fault that the target had slipped through their fingers, but it did mean that Reed was in a foul mood and was using their rule breaking against them this time.

"I should put the two of you on probation," Reed thundered.

Taking a quick glance at his watch Harry's heart sank. It wasn't bad enough that they had missed the target and were now getting chewed out for the rules they had broken, but he was supposed to have been home last night and now eleven o'clock was fast approaching. He needed to be beside Ginny on that train. As it stood he had a half an hour to get to the train station. He had sent Ginny a message via the dog tags last night apologizing profusely and asking her to bring his things to King's Cross for him. He promised that he would meet her there; he just hoped that it was a promise he could keep.

"Potter, are you listening?" Reed shouted.

Under his breath Noah muttered, "Say you agree that we were reckless…"

"Yes sir, I agree that Auror Levine and I were quite reckless…" Harry parroted.

"We'll be more careful on our next mission…" Noah muttered.

"We will be more careful on our next mission and keep in mind that the rules are there to protect us," Harry said.

Reed looked surprised and then said, "Very good. Now, let's go over your actions again and discuss what you can do differently next time to avoid breaking more rules."

Harry sighed, there was no way he was going to make the train; he hoped Ginny wouldn't be too angry with him. Just as he'd given up hope the door to Reed's office swung open and Kingsley let himself in saying, "Harry, don't you think you should be on your way if you are going to make it to King's Cross before eleven o'clock? I dare say that your fiancé will be waiting for you."

Reed looked slightly annoyed that his diatribe was being interrupted but said, "Harry, I forgot that you were headed back to school today. Have you finished your mission report?"

Harry nodded and handed it over, "So I'm free to go then?"

"Yes, have a good term Harry." Reed said.

Harry gathered his bag and mouthed, "Thanks," to Noah before following Kingsley out the door.

"Thank you," Harry said as Kingsley escorted him to the apparition point, "Ginny is already going to be furious with me; I was supposed to be home last night."

Kingsley chuckled and said, "It was time I came to rescue you anyway, sometimes Reed gets a little too attached to the rules. We both know that sometimes the best aurors are the ones who are willing to break a few rules to get the job done."

"So when does my auror training start at Hogwarts?" Harry asked anxiously.

"I think your first lesson will be tomorrow," Kingsley said.

"Who is going to be my instructor?" Harry asked.

"It will vary," Kingsley explained, "As different aurors have free time between missions we will recruit them to come to Hogwarts to teach you. You will have class three times a week. It is possible that there will be times that we won't have one available to come teach you and on those days you can study the handbooks on your own."

"Will there be a final exam at the end of the year like I have for my other classes?" Harry asked.

"I think so," Kingsley said, "But Harry, no more questions, you need to go."

Harry glanced at his watch and saw that he now had only seven minutes to apparate to the station before the train left. "Thanks Kingsley," he said again as he sprinted the rest of the way to the apparition point and turned on the spot.

**Ginny  
**

Ginny scanned the platform endlessly looking for Harry's tussled black head; she was starting to get a headache. She had received Harry's message saying that he wouldn't be back that night during dinner last night. She felt that she'd feigned nonchalance over it pretty well but when she retired to her bedroom shortly after dinner to sulk in private she could feel both Hermione and her Mum's pitying looks following her up the stairs. She hadn't allowed herself to cry, that wouldn't fix anything. But as she double checked both her and Harry's trunks and then pulled out her knitting she could feel the frustration building in her chest. Frustration that she knew could quickly become anger if she wasn't careful. She didn't want to be angry with Harry, it wasn't his fault that the mission was taking longer than expected.

Ginny checked her watch and saw that it was ten minutes to eleven. When they had arrived twenty minutes earlier, she, Ron and Hermione had stowed their things in the compartment reserved for head students and prefects. Ron and Hermione had stayed there to save their seats, welcome the prefects as they arrived and hand out patrol assignments. So far Ginny knew that Neville and Luna were both prefects this year. Ginny had come back out to the platform to keep an eye out for Harry. In seven minutes she would re-board the train, she didn't want to miss it. She knew it was possible that Harry would be delayed enough to warrant apparating directly outside the Hogwart's gates later in the day.

"Where's your fiancé?" an all too familiar voice asked mockingly behind her.

Ginny rearranged her face into a neutral expression before turning to Dean and saying, "Harry has been out on an auror mission the last couple days; he is supposed to be meeting me here to board the train."

"If you were with me you wouldn't have to wait around," Dean said.

"I am perfectly happy to wait for Harry," Ginny snapped, "It's not like he's keeping me waiting for no reason. He has a very important job."

"If he has such an important job why is he bothering to come back this year?" Dean asked.

"Lots of reasons," Ginny said, "None of which are any of your business. Now clear off, the train is about to depart."

"Who are you to boss me around?" Dean asked angrily.

"Just a Head Girl," Harry said from behind her.

Ginny whirled around and said, "You made it," before throwing herself into his arms and kissing him hard on the lips.

Harry kissed her back but quickly broke the connection and said, "Let's board the train before we miss it." Once aboard the train Ginny backed Harry into a wall and captured his mouth with her own. Aware of the curious eyes watching them she broke contact after a few brief moments and whispered, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Harry said, "So much. Look in my pocket, I brought you something."

From the pocket Ginny extracted a tiny velvet bag and poured from it a silver necklace with a complex Celtic knot pendant. "You were in Scotland?" Ginny guessed.

"Yes, but I'm probably not even supposed to tell you that," Harry confessed, "The mission didn't go well and the target is still at large."

"I won't tell anyone," Ginny whispered.

Harry helped her clasp the necklace around her neck before pulling her back into his embrace. Rather than kissing her in front of all the curious eyes peering at them through compartment windows he buried his face in her hair and breathed in her intoxicating scent. Moving his mouth to her ear he said, "I thought you'd be furious with me."

"I kind of was last night," Ginny confessed, "But Dean ticked me off and all my anger with you deflected to him. Besides, it all would have melted away as soon as I saw you here safe."

"Oy, you two," Ron bellowed at them from further up the corridor, "Hermione wants you two to get in here and help with Head duties."

"We'll have a real reunion later," Ginny assured him with a quick peck on his lips.

**Harry  
**

The compartment was crammed with students wearing prefect badges. Hermione looked harassed and frantically waved Harry and Ginny over. As they took their seats Hermione said loudly above the babble of conversation, "Now that all four heads are here we can get started. As you all know Headmistress McGonagall and the faculty decided to appoint more students to positions of authority for this school year to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Just because there are more of us doesn't mean that anyone's contribution is any less important. Be prepared to work for your title. Let's first go around the room and state our names so we can be sure that everyone knows everyone else. I'll start I'm Hermione Granger, I'm in seventh year and I'm one of the Head Girls."

Typically there were six prefects from each house, two from each year five and up; this year the number had increased by two additional students from each house, one additional each from sixth and seventh year. Harry didn't know most of the students who were fifth or sixth year prefects, but many of them looked familiar. The seventh year prefects were Lavender, Parvati and Neville from Gryffindor; Luna, Padma and Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw; Hannah, Ernie and Justin from Hufflepuff and Blaise, Millicent and Pansy from Slytherin.

Hermione outlined how she wanted the patrol duty to be broken up for the duration of the train ride and announced that she expected everyone to check in again before the end of the train ride to gather their assignment for patrol duties for the rest of the first week of school. By the end of the first week she expected that she and her fellow heads would have arranged everyone's assignments for the first month of school. If you had a conflict with your schedule it was up to you to find your own replacement. Anyone who shirked their duty or abused their authority would be stripped of their title. As there were more prefects this year than ever before it shouldn't be a problem to cover all shifts assigned to you. Finally Hermione was satisfied and sent everyone out to patrol the corridors.

Ron sank into a seat and said, "Finally, we can relax."

"We can not," Hermione said bossily, "We have schedules to arrange and assign."

"You're no fun," Ron complained.

"That's not what it sounded like last night when you two were moaning and groaning up in Ron's room when I brought up more laundry," Ginny said.

Hermione flushed crimson to the roots of her hair and stuttered, "Ron, get over here and let's get started on this."

"That's wasn't very nice," Harry snickered.

"True, but it buys us a few minutes to catch up," Ginny said as she settled herself on his lap and lowered her lips to his.

It had been less than ten seconds when Hermione said, "You two get over here. You are heads as well and cannot expect Ron and me to do all the work. The sooner we get this finished, the sooner we can all relax."

Ginny groaned in frustration and whispered to Harry, "Ron was right, she isn't very much fun." Harry chuckled and she added, "We might need to make a field trip up to the astronomy tower tonight."

The first several hours of the train ride were spent organizing a schedule for the first week of school. It should have been easy to arrange but Hermione was entirely too detailed and made it far more complicated than it needed to be. But by the time the snack trolley came around they were finished. Harry bought snacks for he and Ginny then sat beside her devouring chocolate frogs as he watched her knit.

"Who are those ones for?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded toward Ron and Harry understood. "What did you do while I was away? Anything interesting happen?"

"I did lots of chores, helped at the shop a little, knit, packed our stuff…nothing interesting," Ginny said.

"Any interesting dreams?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"A few," Ginny admitted, "Maybe if you are lucky I will tell you about them later."

Before they knew it the sky outside was darkening and the castle towers and spires were becoming visible in the distance above the treetops. The four of them changed into their school robes and pinned their badges to their chests. As the train pulled up at the platform in Hogsmeade Harry asked, "Even though I nearly missed it, was this train ride better than last year's?"

"I'd forgotten to remember how bad last year was. When I'm with you nothing else matters, that is why I needed you here with me. I knew you would completely distract me," Ginny said.

The four of them supervised the mass exodus from the train, helping any younger students that needed it and ensuring that everyone made it to the carriages, or the boats with Hagrid, if they were first years. As Hagrid rounded up the first years he gave them a wave and asked, "Alright you four?" When everyone else had gone the four of them climbed into the final carriage up to the school. Harry smiled brightly as he sat with an arm around Ginny. He couldn't believe he was really back for a final year. He had missed this place last year. This year would be entirely different than any school year he had before, but that was probably a good thing.

"You look happy Harry," Hermione said as she smiled back at him.

He looked at her and said, "You too."

"I am," Hermione said.

"I just didn't think I'd ever be back here. As much as it would have been tempting to become an auror and move on with life in that way, I am so glad to be back here," Harry said.

"Me too," Hermione said.

"Me three," said Ginny.

Ron grinned and said, "Me four."

Up at the castle they herded everyone into the great hall for the sorting feast. Once they were seated at the Gryffindor table the students to be sorted were escorted in by Headmistress McGonagall. Harry noticed immediately that there seemed to be many more new students to be sorted than usual and many of them looked older than eleven. Hermione noticed the quizzical look on Harry's face and whispered to him, "Now that the threat of Lord Voldemort is gone people who held their children back from starting school while he was alive are sending their children. The class of first years is larger than it has been in over two decades."

"Another reason to have extra heads and prefects," Ginny added.

"So do the older children start off in first year or do they go to the year that has kids their age?" Harry asked.

"It depends," Hermione said, "It sounds like some of the students were being educated about magic by their parents at home. Some placement tests will be performed to determine what year they should be in."

Harry was about to ask another question when Hermione shushed him. The sorting hat had been placed on a stool at the front of the hall and was about to start its song. Harry didn't hear much of it as he tuned it out at the first mention of his own name. Hermione informed him later that at the beginning it talked about how Harry was savior of the wizarding community and how very heroic he was indeed; oh and eventually it got around to explaining the four Hogwart's houses.

The sorting itself took a very long time. By the end Ron was moaning about how hungry he was. When it was over each house had between sixteen and twenty new students. At Headmistress McGonagall's word the tables filled with food from the kitchens below and everyone began eating. As Harry filled his plate with all his favorites he thought again how lucky he felt to be back here this year.

Partway through the meal Ron asked Harry, "Why is Dean glaring at you like that?"

Harry glanced down the table and indeed Dean was staring at him and Ginny in a most irritated manner. Trying to find the right words Harry hesitated and Ginny spoke up saying, "He's being a great idiot. He's gotten it in his mind that Harry isn't good enough for me and he's going to win me back. We had more than one run in with him over the summer and another this morning just before we boarded the train."

"What a git," Ron said around a mouthful of roast chicken.

"Do you think you ought to tell someone?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry and Ginny said together.

"We can handle it ourselves," Ginny insisted.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Promise me that if things get dangerous or out of hand that you'll report Dean to McGonagall." When neither said anything Hermione pressed further, "Promise me."

"I promise," Harry and Ginny muttered together.

In fascination Ron said, "You two are even starting to act like one another."

When the plates were cleared away magically from below Headmistress McGonagall stood behind the podium at the front of the great hall and addressed the hall, "I want to welcome all of you. Whether you are a returning student or here for the first time, welcome. I want you all to know that despite the battle the castle saw at the end of last term the castle is as safe as can be. While Lord Voldemort is no longer a threat, some of his supporters remain at large, but know that every defense available to us has been implemented. We are also fortunate to have an auror among our number this year and should any danger arise he is more than capable of handling things, at least until additional support can arrive. As you may have noticed there are an increased number of prefects and head students this year. I will be working closely with them and any questionable behavior will be brought to my attention. As always the Forbidden Forest is off limits. Now, off to bed, classes start in the morning. Good-night."

Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron left the prefects to escort the first years to the dorms while they patrolled the corridors to ensure that no one snuck off on their own. After chasing a few snogging couples to their dorms they were fairly certain that no one else remained in the corridors. To be sure Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map and scanned it. Finally they headed back to the great hall to meet with Headmistress McGonagall who was to escort them to their private head's dorms.

When they arrived back in the Great Hall Headmistress McGonagall said, "I didn't expect to see you back so soon. You are sure the corridors are empty?"

"Yes," Harry said simply, "We are sure."

"Very well," she said, "Let me show you to your dorms."

Behind them Harry heard Ron mutter to Hermione, "She believes Harry just like that. If it was me she would have asked for proof."

They followed Headmistress McGonagall up several staircases and down several corridors before she stopped beside two plain wooden doors in an out of the way corridor that none of them had ever noticed before.

"Where are we?" Ron asked out loud.

"Weren't you paying attention on the way here?" Ginny asked in exasperation.

"Honestly, no," Ron said, "But what I meant is that I've never been in this corridor or seen these doors before."

"That is how the head's dorms stay private. There is a charm on this corridor and if you aren't either a head student or a teacher you can't enter or even see it," Headmistress McGonagall explained, "Should you want another student to meet with you here you need to lead them here because they wouldn't be able to find it or find their way back to it later."

"Then how do the prefects get in touch with us if they need us?" Hermione asked.

"Each of you as well as all the prefects will be equipped with special two way mirrors that will allow them to contact you directly. All you need to do is speak the name of the person you wish to speak to. You are to keep them on or near your person at all times. They will glow and emit a signal when someone is waiting to speak with you. You can each find your mirror in your rooms," she explained.

"Both dorms are set up the same, so we will tour the one for Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley," Headmistress McGonagall said, "After the Christmas break both dorms will be slightly different. One will become a suite for the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Potter and the other will be altered to allow Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger to share it."

As they entered Ron let out a whistle of appreciation. It was decorated similar to the Gryffindor common room, all red and gold. The ceiling was high and an impressive chandelier hung from the center of the room. There were two bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom between them along the left wall. The right side of the room boasted an impressive fireplace, a plush couch and two matching armchairs and a large low table. There were also two large desks near an area in the wall that appeared to be wood paneled and appeared somewhat out of place in the cozy stone room. McGonagall led them to that corner of the room and showed them how if they pressed on a certain stone by the fireplace that the wooded panel would slide aside making the study area connect to the identical area in the girls' dorm, perfect for their head meetings. "Be warned that this panel is not to be opened unless you are conducting a meeting. There will be no using it to sneak into each other's rooms. Am I making myself clear?" She asked while directing pointed looks not at Harry and Ginny but instead at Ron and Hermione. Ron flushed spectacularly while Hermione looked at the floor in an effort not to meet McGonagall's eyes. "Yes Headmistress McGonagall," the four of them chorused. "This panel will be removed when you return from Christmas break. You will have to plan to meet in one dorm or the other. We wanted to afford the newlyweds the most privacy we can. The passwords have been left in your bedrooms. Good-night."

They bid her good-night and as soon as the door closed behind her all four scurried toward the bedroom which boasted their name in gold lettering. Harry chuckled as he heard Ron swear appreciatively over his room and could see why when he opened his bedroom door. Harry's room was decorated in a deep emerald green with accents in tan and gold. The matching furniture was all made of a dark smooth wood. The four poster in the center of the room was larger than the one in his old dorm. There was a large dresser and a desk near the window. There was a perch in one corner of the room that he assumed must be for August should he prefer to spend time with Harry instead of in the owlery. Along the dresser were framed photos of his parents, Sirius, Remus, Teddy and he and Ginny. As he settled onto the bed he noticed that the tiny stitched details on the bedspread were actually snitches. He grinned as he lay back on the bed. He looked up when he noticed Ginny appear in his doorway. "Come in," he said patting the bedspread beside him.

"I can't," Ginny replied, "It seems that the doors have some sort of spell cast on them to prevent girls from going into guys' rooms and vice versa.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Come see," Ginny said.

Harry rose from his bed and followed Ginny through the joined study area to her bedroom and tried to enter; he couldn't. He peered into her room which was a pale lavender with sage green accents. Her furniture was of a paler wood than his. The room looked bright and sunny and he shifted his position to get a look at the pictures on her dresser. There was one of the entire Weasley clan and another of the two of them.

At that moment Ron walked quickly into the girls' dorm and tried to enter Hermione's room. Hitting the barrier at that speed knocked him back into the floor with some force. "What the hell," he bellowed as he rubbed his backside tenderly. Hermione poked her head out of her bedroom and laughed. "There is a charm on the doors to keep boys out of girl's rooms and vice versa."

Harry laughed and helped Ron up off the floor, together they looked into Hermione's room. It was blue and white and surprisingly, rather floral. Harry returned to his and Ron's dorm and entered Ron's room without a problem. It was violently orange, in support of the Chudley Cannons. The bathroom between their rooms was obviously magically expanded. There were two sinks and mirrors, two showers and one enormous bathtub that was really more like a small swimming pool than a bathtub.

"I could get used to this," Ron moaned as he joined Harry in the bathroom, "My room at the Burrow is going to feel like small potatoes after this."

Hermione's voice floated in from the common area asking, "Shall we have a head meeting tonight?"

"No," Harry, Ron and Ginny said together.

Hermione looked annoyed and asked, "Why not?"

"Harry and I have not been properly reunited after his auror mission," Ginny said, "It is a little hard to have a satisfying reunion aboard a train full of prying eyes."

"We will have a meeting tomorrow evening then," Hermione said in a manner that left no room for argument.

Harry went back to his room to fetch the invisibility cloak and his two way mirror as Hermione began pestering Ron to sit down and go over some of her ideas for streamlining the patrol assignment process. He pulled the cloak from his backpack and found the scrap of paper on his desk with the password to his and Ron's dorm. As he read it a smile spread across his face, it was perfect, 'Homecoming,' it read. As he looked around he knew he had absolutely made the right choice in returning here for one more year. It was going to be an amazing year.

**Author's Note:** So, they are back at school. Let me know what you think of this chapter. To some extent this feels like filler…but it was necessary filler…I had to get them back to school. The two way mirrors are not my idea…but I have come across it in SO many other stories that I didn't think it would be a big deal if I used it too. It is another of those ideas that just makes so much sense. I suppose it came from the mirror that Siruis gave Harry…but if it was an idea of someone here in fan fic world – thank you!

Please let me know if I should set the next chapter up in the astronomy tower with Harry and Ginny's reunion or if I should move forward this the story…let me know! Thanks for reading – please review – it makes me happy and it honestly makes me write the next chapter even faster!! Best, Tinkerbell

Note - Someone pointed out that Ron and Hermione would have known about the two way mirrors since they had been prefects before....I forgot that I was going to have McGonagall point out that this was a new solution for having the heads and prefects communicate with each other...I'm not going to back and add it it...but it might turn up in a later chapter.

Oh and please see my profile to see a link to the Celtic Knot pendant – so pretty.


	19. First Day Part 1

Early the next morning found Harry and Ron patrolling the halls and assisting any new students with finding their way to the Great Hall for breakfast, as well as keeping their eye out for any troublemakers. Ron was ranting about his annoyance over the two-way mirrors that were a new solution devised by Headmistress McGonagall for the heads and prefects to more easily contact one another. Ron had been woken no less than three times the night before by some inept buffoon who couldn't figure out how to use their mirror properly. Harry held back a laugh at that. Ginny had prank called Ron on her two way mirror several times the night before in retaliation for something he had done to her while Harry was out on his auror mission earlier in the week. Just the thought of Ginny made him remember last night and their time up in the tower. It had been a seriously amazing reunion.

"Are you even listening to me?" Ron asked a minute later.

"Uh…no," Harry confessed, "Sorry, I didn't get enough sleep last night and I'm having trouble concentrating."

"I bet your lack of focus has more to do with what you and my baby sister got up to last night after you snuck out than a lack of sleep," Ron accused.

Harry smirked and said, "You would win that bet." Ron made a disgusted noise to which Harry replied, "Like I wouldn't be entitled to make the same sound about you and Hermione defiling the couch in our dorm after we left."

"Hey…how did you know about that?" Ron asked as he flushed deeply.

"I didn't, I was just guessing," Harry laughed at the discomfort on his friend's face.

Eventually the traffic in the hallways slowed and they headed into the Great Hall to eat some breakfast before their first class.

The heads of house were already distributing class schedules along the tables. The new transfiguration teacher, Professor Embers, had also taken over as the new head of Gryffindor house and was edging along the table toward where he and Ron were sitting.

"Mr. Weasley, here is your schedule. Mr. Potter, Headmistress McGonagall would like to see you in person about your schedule, you should meet her in her office in ten minutes. The password is Dumbledore."

"Thanks," Harry said.

When he had finished his breakfast, he made his way to the Headmistress' office. She was waiting for him and quickly directed him into one of the chairs before her desk.

"Potter, I wanted to go over your schedule with you personally. As you are teaching a class and taking auror training as a class your schedule is quite a bit different than anyone else's." She placed his schedule between them on the desk before beginning, "You will be in Herbology, Transfiguration, Potions and Charms with the rest of the seventh years from your house. Additionally you will teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts class for all the seventh years twice a week. Finally you will have auror training three times a week, but the times vary to fit them between all the rest of your classes. Additionally, since you have so much on your plate this year you have been granted a time turner. It will allow you to go back and do hours over again to help accommodate all your classes, homework, teaching, auror, Quidditch and head responsibilities, not to mention the time you'll want with Miss Weasley. Do you know how it works?"

Of course he knew how it worked, after all that been the key to saving Sirius and Buckbeak back in third year but to protect Hermione he said, "No, explain it to me."

She explained to him how to use the time turner and all the rules surrounding it. Then when she had finished she wrote him a note and sent him to his Potions class, which was already underway. When he arrived Professor Slughorn greeted him heartily despite his late arrival interrupting the class. When he settled into the seat that Ginny had saved beside her she whispered, "Ron said McGonagall wanted to see you."

"Yeah, my schedule is a little complicated and she wanted to explain it in person," Harry said.

"Do we have most of our classes together?" Ginny asked.

"Potions, Transfiguration, Charms and Herbology, we do. And you're a student in my Defense class. I have auror training on my own. Any other classes you have are on your own," Harry whispered back.

"Just arithmancy and astronomy then," Ginny said happily.

Despite Slughorn's admiration of Harry he shot the couple a warning look as he continued on with his lesson about medically healing potions. Together Harry and Ginny brewed a potion that stopped internal bleeding and received high praise from Professor Slughorn.

When the class was over Harry escorted Ginny to Arithmancy before returning to his dorm. He had a free period in which to prepare for the first Defense class he would teach. Harry lay on his bed and tried to think about what he should teach and was coming up blank. After some serious thought Harry decided that he would run the class how he had run the DA, informally. He would let the students dictate what they wanted or needed to learn. Before he let his mind move to other topics he wondered if he should ask Headmistress McGonagall if there was a list of topics he could work from, perhaps the things covered on the NEWT for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He glanced at his wristwatch and saw that he had nearly an hour and a half until his lesson. Ginny was going to come fetch him from the dorm just before. Maybe he would take a little nap, he really hadn't gotten much sleep last night; he and Ginny had spent a lot of quality time up in the astronomy tower. He let himself think back as he relaxed further into his pillow, a smile gracing his face.

_Together they quietly left the dorm beneath the invisibility cloak. Harry smiled to himself. It seemed odd to be using it to sneak off and do something like snog rather than to rescue someone or something. Holding hands beneath the cloak they made their way to the astronomy tower, somewhere they had come to think of their place in the castle. When they arrived in the tower Harry conjured an armchair and tossed the cloak onto it. Ginny grabbed the end of his tie and towed him toward her saying; "Finally I can kiss you like I have wanted to all day without worrying about prying eyes." Tenderly she removed Harry's glasses and tucked them into a pocket of her robes. She leaned her forehead against his; looking into his emerald eyes and said, "I love you, Harry." Unable to resist any longer Harry closed his eyes and gently touched his lips to hers as he pulled her body flush with his own. Her hands threaded into his hair as her tongue ran along his lower lip. He pulled back just enough to say, "I love you too," before they crushed their lips together. For a while that was enough, their lips and tongues dancing together. But soon Harry felt Ginny's hands loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt beneath. She worked to un-tuck his shirt from the back of his pants before sliding her hands up his bare back and lightly raking her nails down his spine, eliciting a shiver and a groan out of Harry. In response Harry's mouth moved to a spot beneath her ear as his hands moved to the buttons of her shirt. In her haste to have his hands upon her Ginny tried to help and instead managed to pop two buttons off her shirt; as they clattered nosily to the floor in the silent tower Harry's hands slid around her waist and his mouth moved to the apex of her neck and shoulder where he sucked her beautiful freckled skin. Ginny took Harry's hands under her own and slid them up to her breasts. A thrill ran through Harry as he imagined unclasping her bra and touching her the way he really dreamed of. Instead he handled her through the material and knew that there would be plenty of time for that later on. If he let himself get carried away now there might be no turning back. They wanted to wait for their wedding night; he didn't want one night up in the tower to deprive them of that. He kissed her with abandon and when he removed his hands from her chest, to show her that it wasn't because he didn't want her, he drove her against the wall and ground against her, letting her feel how turned on he was. Ginny gasped in appreciation and groaned into his mouth. Usually it was Harry who halted things around this time but it was Ginny who said huskily, "We have to stop. I don't want to, but we need to." After a few more pecks they separated to straighten up before climbing into the armchair together. "So, tell me what you can about the mission in Scotland," Ginny said in an effort to move past their urges and back into safer territory._

Fifteen minutes before Defense Against the Dark Arts was due to start Ginny leaned over Harry's bed and kissed him awake. "Dreaming about last night?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact…" Harry said drowsily before switching directions and asking, "How did you get in here?"

"You told me the password last night, remember?" Ginny replied.

"No," Harry said, "I mean, you are in my room."

A look of comprehension crossed Ginny's face and she said, "I have no idea, come see if you can get into my room."

Harry grabbed his bag and followed Ginny through the panel in the study area to her room. She flopped gracefully onto her bed and beckoned to him flirtatiously. Harry dropped his bag outside the door, rushed through the barrier and settled beside her on the bed. With a grin he kissed her.

"Maybe it was a fluke?" Ginny asked.

"I doubt it," Harry said, "I'm sure McGonagall is behind it, there is some kind of trick to it."

"You'll have to ask her about it next time you meet with her. But now, we need to go, you have a class to teach, Professor Potter," Ginny said.

Harry groaned in response. How had he let himself be talked into this? He wasn't going to be able to teach a class. Outside the classroom, which was already noisy with students, Ginny kissed him and whispered, "You'll be great," before she walked into the class alone. Harry stood in the hall for a moment wondering how to approach this. Outside of Ron, Hermione and Ginny none of the seventh years knew that he was teaching this class. While he planned to run his class like how he had run the DA, this was different. The DA was voluntary and they had asked for his help. Now he was being forced upon them as a figure of authority and this class would include Slytherins and students from other houses who weren't necessarily friends of his. The bell sounded through out the corridors and Harry entered the classroom. He slung his bag onto the desk and nervously faced the class, his class.

"Harry," Seamus called, "Just because you are the hero of the wizarding world doesn't mean you can pick ANY desk in the classroom."

Harry chuckled nervously along with about three quarters of the students. When they realized he wasn't moving the room became quiet and they gave him their attention. "Actually Seamus, this desk up here is mine. By an interesting turn of events I am the instructor for the seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year."

A few people hooted, Harry was unsure if it was in glee or disbelief. The Slytherins, as usual, glared at him from the back of the room. Ron, Hermione, Ginny as well as nearly everyone else that had been a member of the DA beamed up at him; Dean was of course the exception.

"How?" Neville asked finally, speaking what seemed to be on the mind of everyone in the classroom.

"Headmistress McGonagall contacted me over the summer to ask if I would be willing to take on the class. It seems that they were unable to find a new teacher to take on the Defense job. Six of the current teachers are taking on one year apiece and that left one year without a teacher. She knew that I taught many of you in DA and as I'm an auror now I'm qualified to teach….so, here I am," Harry explained.

"Brilliant," Neville said happily, "I learned more from you during fifth year than I did from most of our other Defense teachers combined. Outside of Lupin, that is."

"Is there an assigned textbook?" Padma asked, "When I bought my books there wasn't one listed."

"No, there isn't," Harry said, "The reason being that I'm going to run this class similar to how I ran the DA. It is going to be very informal. If there is something that someone wants to learn I will teach it. Otherwise I'm going to get a list from Headmistress McGonagall of what is covered on the Defense NEWTS so that I at least cover all of that. Any questions?"

Chatter buzzed through out the classroom but no one actually raised their hand or called out a question, Hermione used this as her cue to ask, "What are you teaching us today, Harry?"

The room fell silent again as they all waited for his answer, "What do you want to learn?" he asked in return.

Harry's eyes nearly fell out of his head when Pansy Parkinson raised her had and asked, "Can you teach us how to produce a Patronus? I know that you and most of your friends can produce one and I'd like to know how to do that as well." Most of the Slytherins sitting around her nodded in agreement. Harry had to wonder just how much of an influence Malfoy had had when he was here. Perhaps it was just that the war had changed everyone. Still, he hoped that if Malfoy returned to Hogwarts after his trial, provided that he didn't end up in Azkaban, that things would not revert to how they used to be.

"Sure," Harry said, "That would be an excellent place to begin. It will be a good refresher for those of you who were in the DA as well." He perched on the edge of his desk and continued, "The Patronus Charm is most commonly used for warding off or shielding against dementors. There are few other uses as well such as delivering messages and warding off or shielding against Lethifolds. I assume that everyone here is aware of what a dementor is. A Lethifold is a similar creature but is only found in the tropics. The incantation is 'expecto patronum'. When you cast the spell you want to be thinking about the happiest memory you have. The patronus is actually an incarnation of your own positive feelings so the memory needs to be a very strong happy memory. The patronus cannot feel the despair and depression that the dementors incite which is why they can protect us."

"Harry, can you tell us why everyone's patronus takes on a different form?" Hermione asked.

"Sure," Harry replied, knowing that she knew this answer herself but was trying to help him as he'd been starting to get a bit long winded before, "A corporeal, or full-fledged, patronus takes on an animal form that is somehow significant to the witch or wizard casting the spell. Typically it reflects some characteristic of the caster. It is rare, but it has been known to happen that sometimes a person's patronus will change forms out of love for another person."

"What do you mean by that last bit?" Ron asked.

"I know personally of a few cases where a person's patronus has changed to match the patronus of the person who they were in love with," Harry explained.

"What is your patronus?" Pansy asked interestedly.

"A stag," Harry said.

"How does that reflect your personality?" Pansy asked.

"Well, my Dad was an illegal animagus. He turned into a stag and that was the shape of his patronus as well. He died when I was only one but when I started school here at Hogwarts I heard all the time how much I looked and acted like him so I suppose that influenced it," Harry explained. "Maybe some of the DA members who managed to cast a corporeal patronus can tell us what form it took and why that is reflective of you."

Hermione raised her hand first, Harry nodded at her and she said, "My patronus is an otter. Otters live in groups and value leadership. One otter is always the leader and I feel that I identify very strongly with taking the lead."

Luna raised her hand and said, "Mine is a hare. Hare's are naturally graceful and inquisitive animals; both of which are characteristics that I also possess."

Ron didn't bother raising his hand but when Luna finished said, "Mine is a Jack Russell Terrier because of how loyal I am to my friends and family."

Seamus added, "Mine is a fox because I'm crazy like a fox." The whole class laughed at this before Seamus added, "Just kidding. It is a fox because I can be sly and cunning when I want to be."

Harry directed his gaze at Ginny but she shook her head minutely at him. Not sure why she was resisting he persisted, "Ginny, isn't your patronus a horse?"

She narrowed her eyes at him before quietly saying, "It used to be."

"It changed?" Harry asked in awe.

"During the final battle at the castle it was a horse, the next time I cast it, it was a doe," Ginny said. Her eyes focused intently on his before adding, "It changed to match yours, like you were talking about before."

"Oh," Harry said as his eyes remained locked on hers and a small smile played around the corners of his mouth. Ginny flushed under his gaze and smiled back.

"Honestly you two," Ron muttered, "Harry, are you going to cast your patronus for us or not?"

Coming back to himself he said, "Sure, sure." Not having to look far for a happy memory he drew his wand and yelled, "Expecto Patronum." The silver stag burst from his wand and cantered gracefully around the perimeter of the classroom before returning to stand beside Harry for a moment before disappearing. "Does anyone else want to demonstrate their patronus?"

Hermione, Ron, Seamus, Luna and reluctantly Ginny came up to the front of the classroom and cast the Patronus charm. Seamus' fox patronus chased Ron's Terrier and Luna's hare around the front of the room. Hermione's otter swam lazy circles around her head and Ginny's doe, which Harry was most interested in, proudly trotted around the room apart from the others. After a round of applause from the rest of the class they took their seats and Harry said, "Do not be fooled by the examples you have witnessed here today. The Patronus charm is a very difficult piece of magic. Many witches and wizards who are finished with school struggle with it. For the rest of the class why don't we practice, perhaps those of you who are proficient at this charm could help others."

Harry wandered around the classroom assisting where he could and giving encouragement. He was glad to see the Slytherin bunch participating and looking so content to be there. The only person who looked like they'd rather be anywhere but here was Dean. Harry vowed that he would take Dean aside after class and get to the bottom of this. He was tired of someone who he'd considered a friend for so many years looking at him with such utter dislike. By the time the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson Neville had succeeded in casting a Patronus and several of the Slytherins were managing feeble non-corporeal ones. Harry asked that for homework everyone practice on their own. "Dean," Harry said as the class filed past him out the door, "Can I have a word?"

Ginny looked at him in surprise and he shook his head at her, indicating that everything was fine. She left the room with Hermione and Ron. When he and Dean were the only two left he rose to close the door before sitting back on the edge of the desk.

"You wanted to see me?" Dean asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you about this anger you have with Ginny and I," Harry said, "I want to understand and I just don't. You and Ginny broke up before she and I got together and now, a year and a half later, you are lashing out about she and I being together. I've considered you a friend for too long to just let it go."

Dean sighed and said, "I just want her back."

"I can understand that to some extent," Harry said, "But she's with me now. You have to let it go."

"What if I can't?" Dean asked.

"You need to try. Ginny and I are against it but Hermione noticed your behavior and wanted to report you to McGonagall. After the things that happened here last year McGonagall is not willing to put up with anything that threatens another student. She will put you on a train back to London so fast…"

Dean cut in saying, "It's not so much that I'm in love with her and that is why I want her back. I mean, part of me is still in love with her but there is more," He stopped and sighed heavily before saying, "The last good times in my life were when Ginny and I were dating. I just want to go back to that and be happy again. We broke up and I had to watch her with you. Then the castle got attacked and Dumbledore died. Then I had to spent my seventh year on the run from snatchers…it just seems like everything went downhill after that. I still have nightmares about my time on the run. It just seems like nothing is ever going to be good again."

"I know what that feels like," Harry said sympathetically, "I mean, my life was rubbish up until Voldemort finally died. I mean, no parents, living with the Dursleys, Voldemort constantly trying to kill me….but it was worth it to be as happy as I am now. Dean, I have to believe that things are going to look up for you. You're a great guy, there's a girl out there for you and I think being back in the castle this year is going to go a long way toward healing all of us."

"You're right Harry, of course," Dean said and flashing a smile that looked more like himself than Harry had seen in a long time, "I'm sorry that I've been taking things out on you and Ginny. She and I never would have worked anyway, even when we were together I could see that she looked at you in a certain way; I just didn't want to believe it. I will leave the two of you alone, I swear."

"Just promise me two things," Harry said, "First, apologize to Ginny. Second, next time something like this is bothering you come talk to me, or someone, but don't let it fester until it turns into something like this. We're all trying to get over everything that happened last year; we can all help each other. Okay?"

Dean nodded and said, "Okay." He rose from his seat and held out a hand to Harry who shook it. Harry intended on walking with Dean all the way outside to the greenhouses for Herbology but when he pulled the door open Headmistress McGonagall was standing on the other side.

"Harry, can I have a word?" She asked. Harry nodded and she turned to Dean and said, "You may go, Dean." When the door closed behind Dean she turned to Harry and said, "First off, that just now with Dean was very well handled. I knew that you would make an excellent Head Boy. But that isn't why I came. That was a very good first lesson. You are going to be a wonderful teacher. I will leave the list of Defense topics covered on the NEWTS in your dorm."

"How?" Was all Harry managed to ask.

"We Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts have many secrets," Headmistress said with a wink, "Perhaps one day should you hold this post you will lucky enough to learn of them all."

"No offense, but that is a job I hope never to hold," Harry said.

She chuckled lightly and said, "Potter, you'd better be off to your next lesson; unless there was something else?"

"Can you explain to me the barriers on the bedroom doors in our Head dorms?" Harry asked.

"Why do you ask?" She said.

"Well last night when we moved into our rooms girls could not enter boys rooms and vice versa," Harry explained, "But just before this class Ginny came to wake me up from a little nap and she had no problem getting into my room and I could get into hers as well."

"How about Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know, they weren't there with us," Harry said.

"Last year there was a lot of fooling around in the castle," She said, "While I realize that there are many places in the castle that students use to that end, I felt some extra precautions were necessary this year to try and curtail it a bit. There were many students who found themselves in a spot of trouble. I set up the bedrooms in the Head dorms with a spell that would block anyone of the opposite sex from entering as I did with all the dorm rooms in the entire castle. There was one exception; we have never had an engaged couple at the school that were also both Head students and therefore living in adjoining dorm rooms. The spell on you and your finance's dorm rooms was designed to allow you entrance into each other's rooms when it could sense that in your heart you didn't intend to use your bedrooms for illicit purposes."

"But last night when I tried to enter Ginny's room just to see it I was blocked and I had no illicit purposes then," Harry pointed out.

"The spell takes a little time to work, it didn't know your intentions yet," She explained.

"Will Ron and Hermione's doors react in the same way?" Harry asked.

"I did not build such a loophole into their spells," She said with a twinkle in her eye, "It didn't seem fair to me that an engaged couple so close to their wedding couldn't shut themselves into one bedroom or the other for a private conversation. Had you not proven that you didn't intend to engage in other activities then the barrier would remain."

"You are crafty," Harry said with a smile then blushing slightly he said, "Thank you."

"Just don't make me regret my decision," McGonagall said.

"No, we plan to wait…" Harry confessed embarrassedly.

"Very noble," She said somewhat proudly, "Off to class now, here is a note excusing you from being late."

As Harry walked out to the greenhouses he thought about how nice it would be to wake up to Ginny climbing into his bed and kissing him awake now that the barrier was down.

He wondered fleetingly if there was any way that the barrier would be reinstated once it had been removed.

**Author's Note:** First, to thank my beta who reviewed this chapter for me…since I am just terrible about finding my own mistakes no matter how many times I proofread, it was time to go in that direction. So…. _**lessxthan3maggie **_Thank you so much! You rock!!

Second, let me say sorry to those of you who thought I was not going to start with the reunion but instead used it as a flashback…and I miss-spoke in my last author's note…I wouldn't have had the entire chapter be the reunion….the story always needs to move forward, at least a little bit. I hope there was a good balance in this chapter. This is not the end of the first day. Harry still has auror training. This chapter was starting to feel a bit long to me and rather than cut the training short I'm opting to split the first day back into two parts.

As always I love to get feedback…so review and let me know what you think or if you have ideas for me! Thanks!

If you know what Neville's patronus should be let me know….I have a few ideas but I'm not sure I love them.

Best,

Tinkerbell


	20. First Day Part 2

When Harry arrived at greenhouse three, Ginny was again saving him a seat. She was already working on harvesting some large brownish pods from a particularly ugly and aggressive plant. Harry pulled on his gloves and started to help immediately. As he did, he told her about the conversation he'd just had with McGonagall.

"So, we can now get into each other's room but Ron and Hermione still can't?" Ginny whispered, "Ron'll be pleased. We have to keep it a secret. The first time he sees one of us go into the other's room he will try again and end up flat on his arse like before. That is an image I can't get enough of." Harry grinned at her and agreed not to say anything even though he felt a little bad for Ron.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Ron hissed across the table from where he and Hermione were harvesting their plant.

"Nothing," they said in unison.

Ron rolled his eyes at them and said, "More alike every day"

When Herbology was dismissed, they went into the Great Hall for lunch. Ron and Hermione sat across the table from Harry and Ginny and they compared schedules.

"I'm done for the day." Ron said cheerfully, "How about you lot?"

"I'm done too," Ginny said.

"I just have Muggle Studies," Hermione said, checking her schedule.

"I have my first auror training," Harry said.

"Who is your instructor for that?" Hermione asked with interest.

"I have no idea," Harry said.

"Is it in a classroom?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Harry replied.

"What do you do in auror training anyway?" Ginny asked.

"Haven't a clue," Harry said, "But I imagine that it has something to do with training me to be an auror."

"Ha ha smarty pants," Ginny said as she swatted his arm playfully.

"So you know nothing about this training?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," Harry agreed, "I figured if something doesn't become apparent I will go ask McGonagall what I'm missing."

"Can we have a Head meeting later tonight?" Hermione asked changing the subject, "We need to start working on the patrol schedule for the next month and decide when we want to schedule the first Hogsmeade trip for." The other three nodded in agreement as they chewed their sandwiches.

With a mouth still full of food Ron asked, "When are you two planning to hold Quidditch tryouts?"

"Charming Ronald," Hermione scolded.

"Maybe this weekend?" Harry asked Ginny.

"Maybe," Ginny agreed.

"Potter," a familiar voice called from across the hall.

Harry spun around and saw Noah walking up the aisle between the tables carrying a large bag over his shoulder. "Noah, what are you doing here?"

"I'm your instructor, for today at least," Noah said as he settled in the empty seat on the other side of Harry and began filling a plate with sandwiches. "Finish your lunch and then we'll get started."

Harry introduced Ron and Hermione to Noah before returning to his sandwich. Noah said hello to Ginny as well and congratulated her on their engagement. The five of them ate in silence until Neville settled into the seat beside Ron.

"Hi Neville," Ginny said, "Great job in Defense class today, your lion patronus is very impressive."

"Thanks Ginny," Neville replied happily, "I can't believe that I finally cast a patronus. Harry you're a great teacher."

"Thanks Neville," Harry said.

"Teacher?" Noah asked.

"Neville," Harry interrupted, "This is Noah Irvine. He is also an auror and is here today to start me on my auror training."

The two shook hands across the table before Noah asked again, "Harry, a teacher?"

"Harry is the professor for the seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Hermione explained, "They couldn't get anyone to take the class full time so six of the teachers and Harry are all teaching a year."

"Impressive," Noah said, "I am constantly learning surprising things about you Potter, any other secrets I should know about?"

"It wasn't a secret," Harry said, "I just didn't mention it before."

"So, your first day as a teacher and you covered the patronus charm?" Noah asked, "Very ambitious of you."

"Not really," Hermione said, "Back in our fifth year Harry headed up a group called Dumbledore's Army to help teach Defense Against the Dark Arts to fellow students because Umbridge was our professor that year and didn't allow us to learn more than the theory behind the spells. A lot of us learned the patronus charm back then. Today in class a girl who wasn't in DA with us but knew about Harry teaching all of us the charm asked to learn it too,"

"What had you planned to cover in your first lesson?" Noah asked.

"I didn't have a plan," Harry said, "I decided to run my class like I ran the DA, whatever people wanted or needed to learn I would teach them."

"You were teaching fellow students how to do the patronus charm in your fifth year? Wow. How old were you when you learned how to do it?" Noah asked.

"Professor Lupin taught it to me third year to ward off the dementors that were stationed around the school then," Harry said.

"I struggled with casting a patronus until my first day of auror training," Noah confessed, "Yet here I am today intending for your first lesson to be some pointers on casting a patronus and using it to deliver messages."

"But you already knew I could do that," Harry said, "I did both those things on the missions we were out on together."

"I know but I figured that as young as you are you might do with some extra tips and refining," Noah said with a smile, "You are going to make me feel like a rubbish teacher. Do you have to be good at everything?"

Ron chuckled and said, "Try being his best mate, that'll make you feel like less than nothing and that's on a good day."

Harry scowled at Ron before rising from the table and asking, "Ready, Noah?"

Noah rose from the table as well and asked, "Does he always get this testy when you discuss how talented he is?"

"Yes," they all chorused in unison.

Noah laughed and waved to them as he followed Harry out of the hall.

"Where to?" Harry asked when Noah caught up with him in the entryway.

"The Quidditch locker rooms," Noah said.

Harry hadn't expected that answer but rather than questioning it headed out of the front doors and said, "Thanks for helping me yesterday with Reed. I hope you didn't have to sit through much more of that after Kingsley sprung me."

Noah grinned and said, "No problem, I've learned all the right responses when it comes to Reed's lectures over the last couple months. Kingsley came and sprung me too after a bit, pretending to need some extra explanation on one of my mission reports."

"Kingsley is the man," Harry said.

Noah nodded and asked, "So, you're an auror, a professor, Head Boy…anything else?"

"Co-Quidditch captain," Harry said.

"Seriously?" Noah exclaimed, "What aren't you good at? Wait, co-captain?"

"I was captain my sixth year but someone else was last year while I was out hunting horcruxes. We both have a claim to the position and so I suggested we share it," Harry said with a shrug.

"Who is it?" Noah asked.

"Ginny," Harry said with a smile, already anticipating what Noah's response would be.

"No way," he said with a laugh, "Are you guys any good?"

"We won the cup my sixth year," Harry said, "Ginny is the best player I've ever seen here at Hogwarts. If she doesn't end up playing professionally I'll be surprised."

"I'll have to come watch a game sometime," Noah said.

By this time, they had reached the Gryffindor locker room. Noah set his duffle bag on one of the benches and from it pulled a smaller duffle bag with 'Potter' emblazoned on the side and handed it to Harry, "Your training gear."

"Gear?" Harry asked, "For what? Can you explain to me what happens in auror training? I honestly have no idea."

"There are two parts," Noah said, "Mental and Physical. The mental part deals with teaching you all the rules, regulations and protocol in the handbooks as well as all the magical knowledge you will use as an auror. The Physical part deals with getting you into prime physical condition."

"I thought I was already in pretty good physical condition," Harry said, "Why do I need to be in prime physical condition."

"Aurors need to be prepared for the possibility that they will need to rely on their on own personal strength, stamina and speed to get them out of a situation should they find themselves without their wand," Noah said, "Not to mention that being in top physical condition could be the one thing that gives us an edge over our target."

"Does that happen often?" Harry asked, "Finding oneself without their wand, I mean."

"No," Noah said, "Never the less, the physical training is very important. Each lesson you have will include some of both mental and physical training. The gear is for the physical part. Get changed."

From the bag Harry pulled a black and silver uniform that reminded him of what the muggle football players wore in Dean's poster in their old dorm. There were other items in the bag but as Noah was nearly changed into an identical uniform Harry didn't take time to sift through the rest of it now. He quickly changed into the uniform and pulled the black trainers he also found in the bag onto his feet. He mimicked the stretches that Noah was doing and was horribly reminded of games during his days of muggle education.

"Ready, Potter?" Noah asked with a grin. Harry nodded and Noah added, "Just try to keep up with me."

Harry slid his wand into the long narrow built in pocket along the right thigh of his uniform shorts and jogged out of the locker room after Noah. Harry had no difficulties keeping up with Noah as they jogged twice around the Quidditch pitch. As they neared the point where they had started Noah veered off toward the lake and increased the speed considerably. Harry fell a few paces behind almost at once and it didn't take long until he had a stitch in his side and his lungs felt like they were on fire.

Ahead of him he heard Noah chuckle, "Keep up Potter."

Harry pushed himself to close the gap between himself and Noah and tried to remember if there were any tricks to running from his days in games. Remembering something about breathing deeply and evenly through only his nose registered and he tried that. His breathing came easier and eventually the stitch subsided too. As they reached the lake Harry had nearly closed the gap just in time to screech to a halt to avoid running into Noah, who had stopped beside the lake. Harry watched in surprise as Noah removed his trainers and socks before running into the lake, "Coming Potter?" Noah yelled back to him. Harry quickly removed his trainers and socks as well and splashed out into the chilly water. Having no time to hesitate he dove into the water and swam to the best of his ability behind Noah. Harry had never learned how to swim properly but ever since swimming to the bottom of the lake with the help of gilly weed back in fourth year he had kind of a natural ability. When they reached the dead center of the lake Noah stopped and began treading water.

"What are we doing?" Harry asked.

"Treading water," Noah said.

"I get that, but why?" Harry asked.

"Part of the regimen," Noah explained, "Ten minutes of treading and we can head back to shore. Then we run back to the Quidditch pitch and work on some other training exercises."

"Are we doing any mental training today?" Harry asked.

"We were going to work on the patronus charm but you ruined that for me," Noah said, "I will probably have you cast your patronus for me and we'll call it good. Then I'll want you to study the handbooks before your next auror lesson in two days. There will be a quiz on the first two chapters of the rules."

When Harry followed Noah out of the lake twenty minutes later he saw Ron and Ginny sitting under a tree many yards away. They waved and Ron yelled, "What are you doing?"

"Training," Harry yelled back as he quickly tried to pull his socks and trainers back onto his wet feet and keep up with Noah who was already running back toward the Quidditch pitch.

When they finally arrived back at the pitch Harry was out of breath. He sprawled on the grass next to where Noah was standing. "Well, you kept up with me better than I expected you to Potter. Well done," he said.

"I have to do this every class?" Harry gasped.

"Yes, but it will vary depending on who is here to work with you," Noah said, "It won't always be me."

"Are you harder or easier than the others?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Harder than most, I think." Noah said, "Why don't you run to the other end of the pitch and send me a message via your patronus."

Slowly Harry got back to his feet and lazily jogged to the other end of the field. Once there he thought of a happy memory and sent his patronus across the field to Noah. He knew when the message had been received because Noah burst out laughing. Harry jogged back and when he was within ear shot Noah said, "I hate you too. Just wait until no one but Reed is available to come; I think he is toughest of all."

Noah gave Harry a few more minutes to catch his breath and drink some water before asking, "Have you ever fenced before?"

"I think we did a unit on it in games when I was ten," Harry said, "So, technically yes, but you might as well explain it to me as if I haven't."

"Alright," Noah said, "We are going to be fencing with foils, or swords. Fencing is an excellent exercise in agility and coordination. Our swords have a protective tip; the aim is not to hurt one another, just to touch each other with the tip of the sword. When fencing with a foil your touches can only occur on the trunk of the body, collar bone down to the groin. One bout of fencing, or a round, lasts for nine minutes. In those nine minutes you want to be the first to touch your opponent with your sword fifteen times. Before the bout I will say, 'en garde,' and that is like, 'get ready,' then when I say, 'allez,' we begin. If there is a foul I will say, 'halt,' and you must stop."

"What constitutes a foul?" Harry asked.

"Let's head back into the locker room and I will explain them as we change into our fencing costumes," Noah said.

Ten minutes later they emerged both in white costumes including a mask, gloves and undervest. Noah had explained the fouls and they were ready to begin. Harry noticed as he took his mark on one of the lines Noah had put down on the field that Ron and Ginny were now sitting high above them in the Quidditch stands watching them. Harry lowered his mask and waited for his cue as Noah set a small clock to mark nine minutes.

"En garde," Noah said as he also toed his line, then, "Allez."

Each moved forward and raised their foil to strike. Noah's sword swooshed quickly toward Harry's chest but he blocked it with his own sword. As Noah swung his foil around to strike again Harry jabbed at Noah's chest but was also blocked. Harry found the sound of the clashing swords immensely satisfying. He was pleased that he seemed to have a knack for it as he leapt out of the way of Noah's sword and prepared to jab back. It was over two minutes into the match when Noah's foil finally managed to touch a spot on high on Harry's chest. "That's one Potter," Noah cried joyously as he moved deftly to avoid Harry's return jab.

Less than thirty seconds after Noah's first touch Harry got his and said, "One, all." The two continued to weave and bob around each other jabbing and blocking the strikes of their opponent. The rush of adrenaline that was coursing through Harry's body was nearly as good as the one he got from playing Quidditch.

When the nine minutes were up Noah had only scored seven touches and Harry six. From where they sat Ron and Ginny applauded. "Potter," Noah said, barely out of breath, "You are much better at that than I expected you to be. Especially if the only experience you ever had with it was eight years ago."

"Thanks," Harry said, "That was fun."

"Want to go again?" Noah asked.

"Absolutely," Harry grinned.

"I went a little easy on you the first time," Noah said, "This time I'm going full throttle."

"Bring it on," Harry said.

The second bout was more intense, but it just made it even more enjoyable, as far as Harry was concerned. Noah reached fifteen touches after just eight minutes but Harry wasn't far behind with twelve and insisted that they go one more bout. Harry pulled ahead easily in the third bout and won with fifteen touches after just seven minutes when Noah only had nine touches.

"Seriously Potter," Noah said, the most out of breath Harry had seen him all day, "Why do you have to be good at everything?"

"I'm not," Harry countered, "I'm rubbish at divination."

Noah laughed loudly and said, "Was that the first thing to pop into your head?"

"Pretty much," Harry grinned back, "I'm also pretty lousy at potions."

"You seem to excel at everything athletic though," Noah said, "Which is a bonus in this line of work."

"What's next?" Harry asked.

"We're done," Noah laughed, "You wore me out. If you still have energy though, maybe you should run around the pitch a few more times."

"Nah," Harry said, "I'm done in too, just putting on a tough face. I want nothing more than to take a shower and a nap."

"Lucky," Noah said, "I have to go back to the ministry and write a report about how training is going with you."

"Will you be back in two days?" Harry asked.

"Unofficially I have been named your main trainer. To have some consistency to your training I will always be the one to come if I'm not out on a mission. But they aren't going to keep me off missions just to be available to train you," Noah explained, "So, we'll see."

"Any particular reason why you were named my main trainer?" Harry asked.

"I requested it," Noah said.

"Really?" Harry asked, stunned.

"Are you kidding, we were all fighting over who would get this assignment. Everyone wanted to be Potter's trainer," Noah revealed, "I think I got it because Reed and Kingsley have seen how well we work together on a mission and it makes sense for someone who you work well with and will probably work a lot with in the future to spend time training you."

"Makes sense," Harry agreed.

"I do have my own personal reason for wanting to do this though," Noah added.

"Yeah?" Harry replied, sure that it would have something to do with Harry having saved his life twice before and this being the only way he could think of to repay him.

"I've come to think of you as a friend," Noah said simply.

Harry smiled, the hard-arse auror who had been so sure that Harry would be a liability to the team just called him a friend, "Me too," he replied.

Back in the locker room Harry removed his fencing costume and jammed it into the duffle bag. He piled his school robes, shirt, tie and trousers on top of that and slung it over his shoulder. He picked up his extra pair of shoes, foil and mask and headed back toward the school with Noah who was planning to use the showers at the ministry when he apparated back there. As they approached the front door Harry could see Ron and Ginny waiting for him on the front steps.

"I'm off then" Noah said as he started to head toward the gates, "I'll maybe see you later this week; good work today Harry."

"Thanks Noah," Harry replied as he waved.

Noah waved to Ron and Ginny before he started jogging toward the gates to disapparate. Ron and Ginny came down the steps and took some of what he was carrying from him and led him back toward their dorm.

"What was all that?" Ron asked, "I thought you were going to be learning all sorts of spells and stuff to be an auror, not bloody running around."

"There is going to be both mental and physical training," Harry explained, "You witnessed the physical. Aurors have to be in peak physical condition to give us an edge over our target."

"What was the mental part you learned today then?" Ginny asked.

Harry grinned and said, "He was going to give me some tips and tricks to casting a patronus."

The three of them laughed heartily at this as they filed through the door into Ron and Harry's dorm. Harry dumped his duffle bag and clothing onto his bed. He took the mask and foil from Ginny and hung them on a hook on the back of his door. Removing his trainers he moved to close his bedroom door saying, "I need a shower."

Ginny blocked the door's progress and said, "Just a moment, I'm not quite done ogling you in this uniform yet."

A smirk appeared on Harry's lips as he took her hand in his own and pulled her to him, "By all means, let me give you a closer look then."

Ron's groan of disgust was cut short when Harry pulled Ginny into his bedroom, "Hey," he said, "How did you do that?"

Ginny's eyes brightened with excitement before saying, "I don't know, go see if you can get into Hermione's room."

As Ron opened the panel and jogged into the girls' dorm Ginny followed. Harry settled on his bed where he began to remove his socks. He heard the thud of Ron hitting the barrier and then the floor before hearing Ginny's laughter. Ron yelled something that was unintelligible from this distance. Ginny's laughter grew louder and a moment later she reappeared in his door way and pulled his door shut behind her. "That was mean," Harry said.

"I know," Ginny said mischievously, "But you don't understand, you didn't grow up with six older brothers, you get them back with any chances you are given."

Harry shrugged and pulled her back toward him, "So you like my training gear?"

Ginny nodded as she took in the way the sleek black material hugged his body leaving both arms and legs mostly bare. "It looked ever better when it was plastered to you after you came out of the lake," she whispered as her hands began running up his arms to his shoulders and chest.

Harry kissed her lips lightly before saying, "Do you know how hard you make it sometimes for me not to just throw you down and take you right now?"

Ginny groaned a little as their mouths reconnected and she moved her hands to his thighs. She slipped her hands beneath the silky material up his naked thighs. One finger slipped beneath the hem of his boxer shorts and brushed against his hardness.

"Merlin, Ginny," Harry choked, "That's not helping. I need to go take a shower, now." He rose from his seated position on the bed and escorted her to the door. He opened it and pushed her through it. Before thinking twice he shut the door behind her and locked it. He groaned in frustration as he grabbed a towel and opened the door that led from his room directly into the bathroom. He thought he heard her laughing outside his door and scowled slightly as he turned the shower on.

He stepped into the warm spray and for a moment just let the warm water wash the sweaty residue left over from training off his skin. He shampooed his hair before deciding that he was going to have to take things into his own hands. He built up a lather of soap in his hands before moving them downward. He stroked himself to climax as he thought about her body and all the wonderful things they would do once they were married. It was times like this that he wondered why they were waiting. But once he was finished and the blood was returning to his brain he remembered that they had agreed to wait and three months wasn't that long. He scrubbed and rinsed his body before turning the water off. He wrapped a towel around his waist before combing his hair and brushing his teeth in front of the mirror.

Once dressed again in his shirt, trousers, tie and school robes he padded barefoot, with socks in hands, through the panel to outside Ginny's room. He knocked and called, "Ginny?" A moment later after receiving no response he tried the door knob. The door opened and revealed that Ginny wasn't inside. Feeling remorseful for hurrying her out of his room so quickly before, he went back to his own dorm and lay down on the bed. He would just rest for a minute or two before going to find her. Maybe she had gone to dinner already, he thought as he let his eyes slid closed, it was starting in just a few minutes.

"Harry," Ginny said as she ran her hand along his cheek, "Wake up Harry."

"What?" He asked as he sat up, confused, "What's going on?"

"You must have fallen asleep after your shower," Ginny explained.

"I came to find you to say I was sorry but you were gone," Harry said, remembering, "Where did you go?"

"Luna contacted me on my mirror with a problem," Ginny said, "Some little Ravenclaw fourth year tried to hex off her acne. Luna couldn't get her to come out of the bathroom so she could escort her down to Madame Pomfrey. When I came back I found you here asleep."

"I was just going to rest for a minute before coming to find you," Harry said.

Ginny smiled softly at him and said, "I'd be tired if I was you too."

"I'm sorry about before," Harry said sheepishly, "When I pushed you out of here."

Ginny blushed and said, "That's okay, it was my own fault for touching you like that."

"It is just too much if we are going to last for another three months," Harry said blushing slightly too as he remembered his resulting wank in the shower.

"I understand, completely," Ginny said, "I'm sorry. It is kind of intoxicating knowing that I have that kind of power though."

"You have no idea, Gin. That one little touch led me to…you know, in the shower," Harry confessed, blushing furiously.

"Touching yourself," Ginny supplied with a satisfied smirk.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Don't be embarrassed," Ginny said, "It makes me feel better. I took matters into my own hands the morning of your second mission when I was having those dreams."

"Really?" Harry asked, feeling his body react as he tried to picture it.

"Really," Ginny whispered as her lips moved toward his. She kissed him gently then asked, "Dinner?"

As they walked hand in hand to the Great Hall Ginny turned to him and said, "So Dean apologized to me today for being an idiot. What did you say to him?"

"I just asked him why he was so angry," Harry said, "He admitted that while a part of him is still in love with you he always knew that the two of you wouldn't work out because of how you looked at me."

"So what was all of his anger about?" Ginny asked.

"He said the last good times in his life were when he was dating you. After that everything started to fall apart. He got it in his head that if he got back with you things might go back to how they used to be," Harry said, "I told him that we are all struggling with everything that has happened and it will take us some time to heal and get back to normal. He seemed to feel better after that."

"He's really okay with us then?" Ginny asked.

"I think so, he swore he would leave us alone from now on," Harry said.

Ginny sighed and said, "Poor Dean. But thank goodness you talked to him; that was the last thing we needed to deal with right now. Hopefully we can all be friends again eventually."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Ginny said, "Anything."

"Why didn't you tell me that your patronus changed?" Harry asked.

Ginny sighed and said, "Don't take this the wrong way but it kind of embarrassed me. I know it is really rare and means that I really and truly love you; but it also kind of made me feel like I wasn't my own person. That the thing that defines me the most is that I love you and that bugged the very independent part of me."

"Well, I think it is amazing," Harry said, "And I have no intention of forgetting all the wonderful things that make you who you are, you know that."

"I do, which is why I decided not to let it bother me," Ginny said, "I think it changed when I thought you were dead. While I was devastated and horrified I was already promising myself that I would never ever forget you and so my patronus changed to always remind me of you."

"You are amazing and I love you," Harry said as the entered the Great Hall.

The rest of the evening was busy. After dinner Hermione conducted a Head meeting in their study area before they all moved onto their homework. Then as they all prepared to head off to bed Hermione asked Harry and Ginny why they could get into each other's room but she and Ron still couldn't. Unsure if what Headmistress McGonagall had told him was a secret or not he invited her to ask McGonagall herself. He could tell by the expression on her face that there was no way she would be asking that question. Once in his pajamas Harry headed through the panel and let himself into Ginny's room. She was sitting on her bed in her nightgown knitting on a sock.

"So, good first day back?" Harry asked as he settled beside her.

"Excellent first day back," Ginny said with a smile.

"Mine too," Harry agreed.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to my beta _**lessxthan3maggie**_ for taking the time to read this and deal with my utter impatience – she is a saint.

So, there it is…their first day back. Let me know what you thought. And if there are things you want to see. I am going to ramp up the pace of this for a while at least. What things from school do you want to see so I don't skip over them? I have some ideas in the works that I'm looking forward to writing but as always I love to hear from all of you! Do you like the friendship forming between Harry and Noah? No worries – he will never replace Ron.

Thanks to everyone who had a suggestion for Neville's patronus. Lion was the most suggested…and to think that one wasn't on my list. It trumped my best idea though by a mile. Thanks again!!

Anyway, thanks for reading – please review, it spurs me to get the next chapter out that much more quickly!

Best,

Tinkerbell


	21. Two Weeks In

**Author's Note:** I just wanted to start off this chapter by saying that when I decided to start writing a HP fanfic this is where I originally planned to start….but as I wrote it I realized there was WAY too much back story that I wanted to include and so I needed to back up before I could get to this point. So I am thrilled that I finally have made it to this point, 21 chapters later, and for that reason this chapter is feeling quite special to me. I hope you enjoy it as well.

It was mid-September, they had been back to school for two weeks. Ginny was currently snuggled into Harry's bed with him. A loud raucous thunderstorm had started up in the wee hours of the morning and rather than lying awake in her own bed she'd slipped into Harry's with him. She wasn't scared, just not a very heavy sleeper. Ginny was amazed at the capacity Harry had to sleep through the ear splitting cracks of thunder that were shaking the castle walls around them. She picked up her watch off the bedside table and peered at its face during the next flash of lightening; 4:45 it read, still too early to get up, especially on a Saturday morning. Ginny burrowed tighter into the circle of Harry's arms, feeling his chest steadily rising and falling against her back and closed her eyes. Her movement proved to rouse Harry, at least slightly.

"Gin, you okay?" He asked sleepily.

"Just having trouble sleeping," Ginny said, "The storm is too loud."

"Mmmm-kay," Harry mumbled. He ran his hand down her forearm searching for her hand under the covers. When he found it he raised it to his lips and kissed her palm. His lips moved to the nape of her neck and he kissed her there too before his breathing quickly returned to the steady rhythm of someone who was fast asleep.

Ginny smiled softly as she rolled onto her other side to face him. She studied his dark messy hair and the black fan of lashes spread beneath each of his closed eyes. His lips were slightly parted in sleep and his cheeks were lightly flushed. He was perfect and he was hers'; sometimes that still seemed unbelievable. She lightly traced the scar on his forehead with a finger before placing a gentle kiss there. The thunder and lightening seemed to have slowed for the moment, she hoped they would hold off long enough for her to fall back to sleep.

Harry woke with a start. The storm had run its course and suddenly it was too quiet. He was glad to see that Ginny was fast asleep though; the racket earlier had kept her awake. He smiled to himself as he thought about how perfect this moment felt. Outside he could hear the howling wind and the sheeting rain but he was warm in his bed with Ginny, his beautiful fiancé. They'd been back to school for two weeks and things couldn't have been going better; in fact, Harry was slightly worried that it was all too good to last.

Harry thought about everything as he lay there trying to fall back to sleep. It was still way too early to get out of bed on a Saturday morning.

His classes were all going well. He was finding them all interesting and he was keeping up with the coursework. Of course it helped that he, Ginny, Ron and Hermione sat in their study area together most evenings and got all their homework done together before moving on to other activities. Classes and homework seemed like far less of a chore than it had during his sixth year. He supposed that had a lot to do with all that happened and how lucky he felt just to be back here this year getting the opportunity to finish his education.

The Defense class that he was teaching was going well too. He was more than impressed with all his students. His biggest fear when he'd agreed to teach the class was that he wouldn't be accepted by his peers as a real teacher. But so far that fear was completely unfounded. They were attentive and hardworking. Harry had gotten the list of topics on the Defense NEWTs from McGonagall and promised the class that for every two topics they covered they could suggest one of their own. He was impressed by how challenging the topics they had chosen so far were.

His auror training was also going well; in fact Harry loved auror training. After their first lesson Noah had definitely upped the ante as far as the mental part of the lessons were concerned. A few times he'd even owled Harry to ask how much he knew about a certain topic ahead of time. After just two short weeks Harry and Noah could see the difference the physical training was making. Harry was already able to run faster and longer without getting winded as quickly. They were alternating fencing with some strength training exercises that Harry failed to enjoy as much as the fencing. Noah had only been unable to make one lesson. On that day Katherine had turned up to train him. She'd gone through the mental part of the lesson that Noah had laid out for her before moving onto the physical part. At the end of the lesson Harry wasn't nearly as tired as he was after his lessons with Noah, but Katherine looked ready to pass out. Harry was glad when Noah turned up again for the following lesson; partly because Noah was a better trainer, but also because Ginny had not been overjoyed by the idea of Harry training with Katherine.

His duties as Head Boy were going fine too. Hermione was more than happy to take the lead in that area and he just did whatever she asked of him. He and Ginny had started taking the latest patrol together and it was the time they used to talk and catch up with each other at the end of everyday. They had scheduled the first Hogsmeade trip for next weekend and Harry was looking forward to it immensely. Additionally, the four of them had been working on plans for a Halloween Costume Ball in the hopes that they would be able to convince Headmistress McGonagall that it would be a good idea.

They had held their Quidditch team tryouts the weekend before. The team remained largely unchanged from his sixth year. He was seeker, Ron was keeper, Peakes and Coote were beaters and Ginny and Demelza were chasers. The only difference was that Dean was now their third chaser replacing Katie Bell since she had graduated. Harry and Ginny had disagreed on whether or not to give Dean the position. Harry wanted him because of the chasers that had tried out he was best after Ginny and Demelza. Ginny had not wanted him due to the trouble he'd given them recently regarding their relationship. Harry swore that Dean would not present a problem again since they'd talked but Ginny wasn't convinced. The very fact that someone she had been so close to at one point could treat her like that unnerved her. In the end Harry talked her into it, saying that if Dean became a problem again they could cut him from the team. They had started team practices immediately. Harry and Ginny both desperately wanted to win the cup this year.

Harry checked the time on Ginny's wristwatch which was conveniently lying on his night stand. It was only quarter to seven, still too early to get out of bed. Harry studied Ginny as she slept. Her long fiery hair was fanned out over her shoulders and the pillow. Harry brushed a stray lock of it away from her face. Her pale freckled skin was radiant in this light and he longed to kiss every inch of it. But that would probably wake her and she looked far too peaceful for that. She was so beautiful and for about the zillionth time he thought, "I am so lucky." He kissed her forehead lightly before snuggling closer to her and closing his eyes again. Maybe this time he'd fall back to sleep.

It was going on eight thirty when Hermione finally decided to get out of bed. She had not slept well the night before due to the storm. After a quick shower she dressed and knocked on Ginny's door hoping that they could have breakfast together and talk. When Ginny did not answer Hermione opened the door a crack and peered in. The bed was rumpled, but empty. Thinking that maybe Ginny was already up and had gone to wake up Harry she opened the panel between the dorms and stopped outside Harry's bedroom. The door was open just a crack; pushing it open further she could see Harry and Ginny curled together in Harry's bed. Quickly she pulled the door mostly shut again. As much as it irritated her that they could get into each other's bedrooms when she and Ron couldn't; she couldn't help but smile over the scene she'd stumbled upon. It made her happy to see them so in love; they were so sweet. She loved both of them as if they were her own siblings and it pleased her to no end to see them both so happy.

Later at breakfast Hermione surreptitiously watched Harry and Ginny, after finding them in bed together earlier she'd begun to wonder if they were sleeping together after all. Ginny had told her that they planned to wait until their wedding night, but maybe things had progressed and those plans had been left behind. Harry was eating his eggs with one hand and holding hands under the table with Ginny with the other while together they studied some Quidditch notes on the table between them. Ginny appeared to be only half as involved in the notes as Harry; she kept looking up to study him in his concentrated state and smiling softly over him.

"Harry, Ginny," Headmistress McGonagall said as she approached their table, "I know you have the pitch reserved for practice this morning but due to the weather I'm going to suggest that you cancel it for now. Perhaps later in the day the weather will be more cooperative."

Mournfully the two nodded at her then turned to one another. "We could hold a team meeting to discuss tactics, strategies and plays," Ginny suggested, "Then this morning won't be a complete loss. We could hold it in our head dorms."

"Nah," Harry said, "Those kinds of meetings are worthless. When there is no hope of getting on a broom at the end of the team meeting no one really listens. At least I used to struggle with it."

"I'm sure we could make them listen," Ginny said as she eyed her wand on the table beside their notes.

"I'd rather they listen on their own then because we threatened them," Harry said with a smirk.

Ginny shrugged and said, "So what are we going to do this morning then?"

"I was hoping that Ron and Hermione could help me with something," Harry said, glancing across at them.

"What about me?" Ginny asked.

"You're off the hook," Harry said, "Go find Luna or knit or read a book or something."

"I'm off the hook." Ginny repeated, an annoyed edge to her voice, "It's like that, is it?"

Harry looked blank and asked, "Like what?"

"The three amigos are back together," Ginny said angrily, "And I'm just not good enough. I thought now that we're engaged I'd be allowed to participate in whatever it is that you three are always up to, but I guess not."

Ginny had risen from the table and was hurrying toward the entrance hall. "Ginny," Harry called after her but she didn't even slow down. He made an effort to chase after her but stumbled as he turned to rise and by that time she was already out of the Hall. Turning back to Ron and Hermione he asked, "What just happened? I am not leaving her out; I need your help with something that is a surprise for her. Should I go after her?"

Hermione shook her head and said, "Give her a little time to cool off before you go talk to her. She is bound to be embarrassed that she jumped to conclusions. What can we help you with?"

Blushing slightly he said, "As you both know Ginny and I will still be in school when we get married. Ginny was worried that we'd have to spend our wedding night in her old bedroom at The Burrow with everyone listening in…you know…to our first time. We are going to go on a honeymoon but not until after Christmas is over. Technically I do have a house but it needs some work before Ginny and I can live it in. I was hoping that you two would help me get it ready. You can't tell Ginny what we are doing; I want it to be a surprise. What do you say?"

"You're going to fix up Grimmauld Place for the two of you to live in?" Ron asked.

"For now, yeah," Harry said, "I think someday when we are ready to start a family I'll want to buy our own house; but if we remodel it why couldn't we live there for now?"

Hermione beamed at him and said, "I'll help. Harry, that is so romantic."

Harry blushed again and said, "I'm not trying to be romantic, I'm just being practical."

"Still," Hermione said approvingly.

"I'll help too, but that sounds like a lot of work, mate," Ron said.

"Well, maybe not as much as you'd think. Kingsley put me in touch with some wizards who are repairing the damage done by the death eaters and working to remove the majority of the leftover Black Family possessions. Kreacher is my go between, but I do need to go visit soon and see how things are coming along. What I need your help with more than anything is plans for the remodel. I want the house to feel like home for not just me, but Ginny too. I am rubbish with that sort of thing. I want you to help me plan the room layouts, colors, fabrics, everything. What do you think?"

"Can all of this be finished before the wedding?" Hermione asked.

"I'm paying extra to ensure that it does," Harry said, "Please?"

"Of course," Hermione said.

"I'm sure I'm not much better than you with that sort of thing, but yeah, I'm in," Ron agreed.

"I'll talk to McGonagall and see if she'll let us apparate there later to have a look around," Harry said, "But first I need to go talk to Ginny."

Ginny slammed the door to her and Hermione's suite behind her as she entered and rushed toward her bedroom. She slammed her bedroom door as well before throwing herself onto her bed to fume. She couldn't believe after all this time and the amazing summer she and Harry had shared that he still didn't trust her to be part of his inner circle. Deep down she still knew that she was most important, he loved her and wanted to marry her; but he still trusted Ron and Hermione to help him more than her, and that hurt. It just didn't make sense to her. They had talked about everything over the summer; she was sure that they knew each other better than anyone. How could he have some secret plan in the works that she wasn't a part of?

The longer she sat and thought it over the more her anger receded and sadness took its place. It wasn't that she didn't want Ron and Hermione to be Harry's friends anymore; that would be mental and not even possible. It was that she didn't want to be excluded. Maybe if he'd explained to her what he wanted their help with she would have understood and not felt excluded. Suddenly she realized that rushing out of the Hall like she had, had deprived Harry of a chance to explain to her. At that moment she'd been so angry that all she could think about was getting away from there and preventing making a bigger scene than they already were.

"Ginny," she heard him call outside her door, "Can I talk to you?"

She flicked her wand at the door and it opened, allowing Harry in. He carefully walked around her bed to kneel on the floor in front of where she sat. As she looked at him her anger flared again but she held her tongue, waiting for him to speak first.

"I don't understand what happened back there," Harry said as he tried to take her hand in his own.

"Don't you Harry? I thought things were different this year but here we are again. You choosing your friends over me; leaving me out," Ginny said furiously as she pulled her hand away from his grasp.

"Ginny," Harry began, "That's not what happened. You have to let me explain. You left the Hall before I could even say one word in my defense. Things are different this year. I didn't ask for your help because I was asking them to help me with a surprise for you."

"That is beside the point…" Ginny began, "Wait, what?"

Harry smiled at how utter impossible she was being. It was both infuriating and irresistible. He loved the way her eyes flared and her skin reddened. "If you were listening to me instead of being angry you might have heard me say that I was asking them to help me with a surprise I'm working on for you," Harry said.

"Really?" Ginny asked with a gleeful expression on her face, "Wait, why are you smiling? I just got angry and yelled at you over something nice you are doing for me. I'm such an idiot."

"You're not an idiot," Harry grinned as he moved to sit beside her on the bed, "You know how irresistible I find you when you're angry. I don't love that you got bent out of shape at me but I love seeing you like this."

"So if you, Ron and Hermione were trying to save the Sorcerer's Stone from an evil lord…" Ginny asked.

"Your help would be requested and appreciated," Harry said.

"And if some silly first year was being possessed by a diary and you were rescuing her…" Ginny said.

"I'd want your help," Harry said.

"And if…" Ginny said.

"Shhhhhh," Harry whispered as he moved in to kiss her. After a long kiss he pulled away and added, "You are always welcome, except when they are helping me with something for you."

"Okay," Ginny whispered before closing the gap between their lips again.

Ten minutes later when Hermione popped her head into Ginny's bedroom it was to find that Harry was shirtless and Ginny wasn't far behind. "At least shut the door if you two are going to do that," Hermione said. She turned her back as they straightened themselves out and continued, "Harry, did you talk to McGonagall?"

"No, that was my next stop," Harry said. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to Ginny, "Are we okay?"

"Yes," Ginny said, "I'm sorry. I will let you explain next time before I stomp off in a snit."

"Thank you," Harry said as he leaned in for one more kiss.

When Harry left to head to the Headmistress' office, Hermione stepped into the room and sat down on the bed, "Can we talk?" Ginny nodded and Hermione said, "Are you and Harry still waiting until you get married to make love?"

"Yes," Ginny asked, "Why?"

"I saw you and Harry in bed this morning and I just wondered," Hermione asked.

"I went in there just to sleep in the middle of the night when the storm started up. It was so loud and I couldn't sleep. Even if I had gone in there to fool around Harry slept like a log," Ginny said, "It was just sleeping."

"I couldn't sleep either," Hermione said, "I read a book for awhile. I wish I could have climbed in with Ron; that would have been nice. I still don't understand why you and Harry can get into each others' rooms but we can't."

"It's a charm that McGonagall put on every dorm room in the entire castle. Girls can't get into boys room and vice versa," Ginny said.

"I understand that, but why are you and Harry the exception?" Hermione asked.

"What makes us different than everyone else?" Ginny asked, leading her.

"You're engaged?" Hermione guessed.

"That is part of it," Ginny confirmed, "But there is more."

Hermione thought for a few minutes before saying, "I don't know. If McGonagall set the charm then there shouldn't be any exceptions…unless she set it up that way."

Ginny grinned at her, "You are too smart. McGonagall told Harry that she set up our doors with a loophole. Since we are engaged and so close to our wedding she built in a loophole that would let us into each others room but only if the charm could sense that our intention was not to use the room for illicit purposes."

"So as long as the charm could detect that you didn't intend to make love in there you could get in," Hermione said, "That is really clever and I guess you two really are serious about not making love until the wedding night."

"Yep," Ginny said.

Hermione was quiet for a bit before saying, "I think you and Harry's engagement and your resolve to wait until your wedding night has put some undue stress on Ron."

"What do you mean," Ginny asked.

"Well, as you know, Ron and I have already done...that," Hermione said, "I think he is feeling like he should make an honest woman of me or something. I think even if we hadn't made love yet he would be feeling some pressure to propose to me just because you two are and he thinks that is what I want or expect too."

"I gather you don't want to get engaged yet though," Ginny said.

"I don't know," Hermione said, "I mean, I love him; if I'm being truly honest with myself, I've loved him since I was eleven years old. I do want to marry him someday but not yet."

"Does Ron know that?" Ginny asked.

"No, we haven't talked about it," Hermione said.

"Maybe if you told him how you felt it would take some of the pressure off," Ginny suggested.

"Maybe, or it would break his heart that I'm not as ready to get married as he is," Hermione said.

"Why don't you want to get married yet?" Ginny asked.

"I'm still in school," Hermione said, "I always imagined that after I'd graduated and spent a year or two working at the Ministry then we'd get married."

"Why then?" Ginny asked.

"I always wanted to be career women, you know, make it on my own before settling down," Hermione explained.

"You can't make it as a career woman while also being married?" Ginny asked.

"I'm not trying to demean you and Harry's decision to get married now," Hermione said, "For you it is right. I just know that isn't what I want yet. I do want it someday and I want it with Ron."

"If he proposed now would you say yes and have a long engagement or would you say no because you felt like it was too soon," Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Hermione said, a crease appearing between her eyes.

"You are thinking too much," Ginny said, "If Ron took you for a romantic walk by the lake tomorrow and got down on one knee and asked, 'Hermione will you marry me?' What would you say?"

"Yes," Hermione said at once.

"Maybe you aren't as opposed as you think," Ginny said, "But if you really feel so strongly about your timeline for engagement and marriage you should discuss it with Ron. It is only fair to him, especially if you think he is moving in that direction."

"Thanks Ginny," Hermione said, "I really needed to hear that."

Harry returned to the room few minutes later and popped his head into the room saying, "Hermione, she said we could floo from her office so we don't have to walk out to the gates to apparate in the rain. Do you have time to go now?"

"Sure," Hermione said, "Ginny, you okay?"

"Sure, I'll go find Luna," Ginny said.

"Do you know where Ron is?" Harry asked Hermione.

"He said he was going to the Gryffindor common room to try and get a chess game going with someone," Hermione said.

Half an hour later the three of them flooed into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Kreacher immediately descended upon them, offering them tea and biscuits.

"Thank you Kreacher," Harry said, "We came to look at the progress in the house; will you show us around?"

Kreacher bowed low and said, "Would be my pleasure, Master." He led them around the main floor of the house. The signs of damage that the death eaters had inflicted were minimal now and the Black possessions were slowly being stripped from the house. Most noticeably the portrait of Sirius' mother was gone. Harry was impressed that they had figured out how to get rid of it. One of the biggest changes on the main floor was the extra windows being installed to let more light into the dark house.

Hermione stayed behind on the first floor to make some notes and drawings for them to work from back at school while Ron and Harry moved up a floor to see the bedrooms on that floor.

"Which room are you and Ginny going to use?" Ron asked as they peered into another gutted bedroom.

"I think this one," Harry said as he motioned to a large bedroom at the end of the hall, "It is the master bedroom and has an attached bathroom."

"I thought for sure you would pick Sirius' old bedroom," Ron said.

"If I was moving in here alone I would pick that room," Harry said, "It is the only room in the house that I can't bear to change; but Ginny wouldn't be comfortable in that room. We need a room of our own."

"I still can't believe that you are marrying my sister in just a few short months,' Ron said, "Makes me think about when I'll get married."

"Yeah?" Harry asked, "When do you think that might be?"

Ron was quiet for a while before saying, "I don't know. I would love to propose to Hermione today, I want to spend the rest of my life with her; but I know I don't have the money to support her right now."

"I don't think money matters to Hermione," Harry said, "Couldn't you propose now but wait to get married until you do have money to support her?"

"That could be years," Ron said, "Besides, I feel like I should make an honest woman out of her, you know."

"You know that Hermione wants to work at the Ministry," Harry said, "Maybe both of you can work on saving money for someday when you are married."

"Maybe," Ron considered, "But even if we did that I don't have money to buy her an engagement ring."

"You know I would loan you the money if you wanted," Harry said.

"Harry, I can't propose to Hermione with a ring that I paid for with your money," Ron said.

"It's not like you wouldn't pay me back," Harry said.

"I know, but I would always know," Ron said, "I'd rather do it on my own."

"I know," Harry said, "I just thought I'd offer. You could find a jewelry store to sell you one on credit and you could make monthly payments."

"I don't make any money to make monthly payments with," Ron said.

"Talk to George and Percy," Harry suggested, "Maybe they could use you as kind of an on location sales person to sell Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to students or something."

"Hey," Ron said, "That's a great idea."

What Ron and Harry failed to notice was Hermione standing just out of sight on the stairs listening to their conversation. She vowed that she and Ron would discuss their future tonight. They both deserved to understand where the other stood on the issue.

When they left Grimmauld Place an hour and a half later Hermione had a huge stack of paper and was already bubbling with ideas, "I think the kitchen should be really bright and cheerful and the master bedroom should be very sophisticated and grown-up and kind of classically beautiful."

"Just write down all your ideas and we will meet soon and you can tell me all about them. Once we make final decisions I'll talk to the wizards working on the house and Kreacher and make sure they know what I want," Harry said, "Just make sure you keep it a secret from Ginny."

"No problem," Hermione said.

That night after dinner rather than returning to the head dorms or visiting the Gryffindor common room Hermione dragged Ron up to the astronomy tower, on loan from Harry and Ginny, to talk. Together they stood on the balcony looking out over the rain washed grounds in silence. Ron put an arm around Hermione's shoulders and asked, "Are you going to tell me why you brought me up here? Or should I assume that we're here to fool around in a new and exciting venue?"

"I wanted to talk about our future," Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"I get the impression that you are anxious to follow in Harry and Ginny's footsteps," Hermione said, "And I wanted to make sure we were on the same page."

"What are you saying; you don't want to marry me?" Ron asked.

"No, that isn't what I'm saying at all," Hermione said as she ran her hand down his arm and twined her fingers with his, "More than anything I want to be your wife someday; but I want a little time to just be me first."

"What does that mean, just be you?" Ron asked.

"I want to get a job and live in a crappy little apartment in London and have some time to be on my own outside of school before settling down," Hermione said, "As much as I want to marry you someday I know that I will regret not taking some time to know that I can make it on my own in the world."

"Why do you need to make it on your own in the world?" Ron asked.

"I think it is the muggle part of me coming through." Hermione said, "In the muggle world people don't get married so young. They go away to university when school is done and then they get a job in the real world and for the most part they don't even consider getting married and settling down until after they have been out in the workforce for at a little while at least."

"Harry grew up in the muggle world and he doesn't need time to make it on his own," Ron said.

"I know but Harry is different. He has already accomplished so much in life," Hermione explained, "And the thing he wants the most is a family. He grew up without his parents, with his horrible muggle relatives; marrying Ginny means he'll have a new family with her and finally be part of your family like he's always wanted."

"I guess," Ron said dejectedly.

"I feel like you are not getting what I'm asking for,' Hermione said, "I'm not saying I don't want to marry you, I just want a little time before we get married." She pulled him close and wrapped her arms around his waist. She looked up into his beautiful eyes and whispered, "I love you, so much. I dream about being married to you someday and having a family of lovely red-headed children of our own; I do. If it would made you feel better we could get engaged soon and then have a long engagement."

"I love you too, Hermione," Ron said softly, "I want you to be happy; so if you need some time I respect that. I guess it gives me time to get a job and make some money to support you with."

"You know, I'll be making money too," Hermione said.

"Doesn't the husband usually make the money?" Ron asked.

"In your household he did," Hermione said, "In the muggle world there are a lot of households where both the husband and wife work."

"Who watches the children?" Ron asked.

"Babysitters," Hermione said, "We don't need to figure out everything tonight; I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page."

"How about this page," Ron whispered, as he disengaged from her and took her hand in his own. He carefully slid a tiny golden band onto her left hand and said, "Taking a page out of Harry's book…this is a promise ring. I promise that I will propose to you someday when I have money to buy you the ring you deserve and you've had some of the time you want."

"Oh, Ron," Hermione breathed, tears filling her eyes, "I promise that I am yours and when someday comes I will say yes."

"I know this isn't as fancy as the ring Harry gave Ginny but this belonged to my Mum. My Dad gave it to her when they were dating," Ron said, "Mum took me aside before we came back to school and gave it to me, just in case. I've been carrying it around in my pocket ever since, just waiting for the right moment."

"It is perfect," Hermione whispered, "Thank you."

"Just like you," Ron said as he leaned down to capture her lips with his own.

**Author's Note:** A HUGE thank you to Terraferme for editing/betaing this chapter for me and catching all my errors – you rock!!

Thanks for reading, please take the time to review. I love to hear how I'm doing and hear suggestions from all of you. I did do a time jump but not a huge one. I have been waiting to write this chapter for a long time. The next time jump will be more significant – probably I will jump to Halloween. I have had several people ask recently when I was going to focus on Ron and Hermione's relationship. I hope this chapter fulfills that. The thing is that my story is mainly about Harry and Ginny – I even say that in the summary. I'm not planning to focus on them as much as Harry and Ginny but I will give an update on their relationship every now and then – I hope that helps. Thanks for reading!! Best, Tinkerbell


	22. The Halloween Ball

Ginny was sitting in a chair before the mirror in the bathroom that she and Hermione shared while Lavender Brown, of all people, tamed the thicket of curls that had resulted from the magically curling hair tonic that Hermione had used on her an hour earlier. Today was Halloween and they were getting ready for the ball they'd planned. Originally they'd wanted a costume ball but McGonagall said no; claiming that sort of party was much more likely to get out of control.

"How much of the tonic did you use Hermione?" Lavender asked as she skillfully smoothed and pinned sections of Ginny's hair into submission.

"Well…" Hermione began.

"Clearly you used more than the directions on the bottle say to," Lavender said, "I've never seen anyone's hair curl like this."

"Well, since Ginny has a lot of hair, I thought maybe it'd take more tonic to get the desired effects," Hermione said as she wrung her hands, "I didn't destroy her hair, did I?"

"No," Lavender said, "It just has more curl that necessary and the effects will last a bit longer than usual."

"Like how much longer?" Ginny asked as she watched Lavender apprehensively in the mirror.

"It will gradually wear off," Lavender explained, "But I wouldn't be surprised if you still have slightly wavy hair two weeks from now."

"I'm sorry Ginny," Hermione moaned, "I should've read the directions more carefully. I just didn't think this would happen."

"It's not the end of the world, Hermione," Ginny said, "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that Lavender is so good at fixing hair disasters."

"Me too," Hermione said, "Do you want me to work on your make-up while she works on your hair?"

"Uh, no," Ginny said quickly, not being willing to end up with permanently blue eyelids because Hermione still wasn't used to the difference between magical and muggle beauty products, "I'll worry about that myself."

"I could help you with that too," Lavender offered, "I've always wanted to give you a makeover, Ginny Weasley."

Ginny thought for a moment; while she had never shared Lavender's love of all things fashion; the girl never looked less than perfect. She had seen the outcome of several of Lavender's makeovers and the results were always positive. This could be just what she needed to catch Harry's eye the way she wanted to. Carefully she nodded her assent to Lavender before adding, "Please don't make me look like a fool or a tart."

"No worries, Ginny," Lavender said, "You're classically beautiful; you could just use a little tweaking."

"That sounds painful," Hermione muttered behind them as she coaxed wrinkles out of her eggplant hued dress with her wand.

Ginny closed her eyes and let Lavender's capable hands and wand work magic on her hair while she thought. It wasn't that Harry's feeling toward her had changed. They were still in love and counting down the days until their wedding, but it had been weeks since Harry had looked at her with any kind of lust or longing. He was just so busy with all his commitments, it seemed like he barely had a moment to spare on her anymore. She hoped that the ball tonight would give them an excuse for some much needed time together and maybe some romance. The last time they'd even snuck away to the astronomy tower was more than a month ago.

"What color is your dress?" Lavender asked, interrupting Ginny's thoughts.

"Its sage green with a violet sash" Ginny said, "It's in my room, you can go look if you want to."

"That's all right, just tell me what style it is," Lavender requested.

"It is strapless with a fitted bodice and then it flairs out from the waist. It is tea length," Ginny explained.

"Perfect," Lavender whispered to herself, "I can work with that."

Ginny didn't want to know what that meant; instead she closed her eyes again and thought back over the circumstances that had brought her to this current dry spell. Classes had gotten harder in preparation for their NEWTs at the end of the school year. They had a lot more homework and a lot less time to do it in. Harry's teaching responsibilities had increased as well. While McGonagall was favorably impressed with Harry's teaching abilities and the content of his lessons she wanted him to start assigning homework so that he could be sure that every student was grasping the theory behind everything that he was teaching them in class. So now, in addition to his homework he was reading and grading weekly essays from each of the seventh years. Ginny was reasonably certain that Harry's auror training was going well but she didn't get enough time with him these days to hear much about it. Quiddtich was the one thing that she knew was making them both happy. So far they were undefeated and she heard that there had been scouts from the professional teams in the stands during their last game. Together they were still taking the latest patrol but now instead of talking and catching up on their days; Ginny was doing all the talking and trying to keep Harry from falling asleep on his feet. She never actually saw him do it, but she was reasonably sure that Harry was using his time turner to accomplish everything. It was starting to concern her; he was squeezing extra hours into his already long days and not getting any extra sleep to compensate. She understood completely why there wasn't any time left in his overly full days for her but it didn't mean that she was willing to just continue forgoing his affections. She intended to have an amazing evening with Harry.

"You seem really stressed," Lavender commented as she continued to smooth out Ginny's hair, "Is everything okay?"

Ginny sighed and said, "Harry and I just haven't really had any alone time in over a month. I really need tonight to go well or I might just lose my mind."

"I have noticed that you two seem a little off lately," Hermione mused, "I can't remember the last time I caught the two of you…"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence," Ginny practically yelled.

"Oh don't worry about me," Lavender said, "I could have guessed that you two were sleeping together."

"But we're not," Ginny said, "Hermione, go ahead and finish your sentence so that Lavender doesn't believe that we're sleeping together."

"I was going to say that I couldn't remember the last time I caught the two of you sleeping together in one of your bedrooms," Hermione said.

Lavender smirked before saying, "I knew it."

Hermione chuckled and said, "No not sleeping together like having sex, like actually sleeping; they used to sneak into each other's room almost every night at bedtime."

"Wait a minute, I have it on very good authority that girls can't get into boys' rooms and vice versa," Lavender said before blushing spectacularly.

"Whose dorm room were you trying to sneak into?" Hermione asked interestedly.

"Or, who was trying to sneak into yours?" Ginny added with a grin,

"It doesn't matter," Lavender said, clearly flustered, "How can you and Harry get into each other's rooms?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me who you've been sneaking around with," Ginny bargained.

"Deal," Lavender said.

"Before I tell you, you need to understand that it is a secret and you have to promise that you won't tell anyone else," Ginny said. When Lavender nodded her agreement she continued, "Professor McGonagall built a loophole into the charm she put on our doors since we are engaged and so close to our wedding. When the charm could sense that we weren't planning to use our rooms to shag in we would be permitted into each others' rooms."

"So you guys are like waiting until your wedding night?" Lavender asked, "That's so romantic."

Ginny nodded before asking, "So, who is he?"

"Dean, actually," Lavender said happily.

"Really," Hermione said happily, "That is great."

"Really great," Ginny added, "He's a really good guy."

"Thanks," Lavender said, "I think so too."

"How long has this been going on?" Hermione asked.

"About a month," Lavender replied.

"Why haven't we heard anything about it then?" Ginny asked.

"We started out as friends and we're taking it slow," Lavender explained, "Not to mention that you two don't live in the dorms anymore, you're over here. You don't hear all the gossip like you used to."

"What else have we missed?" Ginny asked.

"Well Luna and Hannah both seem to be have their sights set on Neville; but he hasn't made a move for either of them," Lavender said, "Also, Seamus is interested in Pansy Parkinson but seems unsure what to do. I think if she wasn't a Slytherin he'd've made a move by now."

"I've noticed that they seem to get on well together in class," Hermione said.

"Sounds like everyone is pairing up," Ginny added.

"Well everyone wants what our four Head students have, don't they?" Lavender said smugly, "Anyone who sees you can see that you're in love and it looks lovely."

"Thank you Lavender," Hermione said, "Are you and Dean going to the ball together then?"

"Yes," Lavender said happily as she stood back to admire Ginny's hair before readjusting a few curls.

Harry was sitting on the couch in front of the fire in the dorm that he and Ron shared. He had papers spread out across the long low table. There was a stack of essays to read and grade from his Defense Against the Dark Arts students, as well as homework assignments from four of his classes to complete; not to mention the auror handbooks he needed to study for his next lesson with Noah. Harry sighed and leaned back into the plush couch cushions. What he wouldn't give just to ignore all of this and go nap until it was time to get ready for the ball. Or better yet, find Ginny and drag her off to his room to be alone, and forget the ball all together. He knew that Ginny was starting to feel extremely neglected but she was being a good sport about it. She had seen how hard he'd been working to keep up with everything and was doing her best to help him out where she could. He was glad that they had tonight to look forward to; maybe he could make up for some of the time he couldn't spend with her just now.

He looked at his watch and determined that he had two hours until he needed to get dressed for the ball. He picked up the stack of essays he had to grade and brought them into his bedroom and left them on his desk. This way after he'd spent two hours working on his homework he could go into his room and use the time turner to go back two hours and grade essays until it was time to get ready for the ball.

Two hours later, which was really four thanks to the time turner, Harry put down his quill and rose, stretching, from his desk. He pulled his black dress robes out of his closet and laid them on the bed before heading into the bathroom for a shower and a shave. He was really looking forward to putting aside his work for an evening and spending time with Ginny. He intended to show her just how much he had missed her the past month.

"Hermione, can you zip me up?" Ginny asked as she appeared in Hermione's room clutching her dress around her chest.

"Sure," Hermione agreed. Ginny spun so her back was to Hermione.

When the zipper was securely fastened Ginny turned back and said, "Well, how did Lavender do?"

Hermione's eyes swept over the elegant pin curls that Lavender had sculpted out of the mess Hermione had created with the hair tonic; there were even jeweled hair pins scattered through out the arrangement that caught the light perfectly. Lavender had also helped Ginny with her make-up. Typically Ginny wore very little or no make-up; Lavender had done a wonderful job of keeping the make-up very natural looking, just highlighting her features. The biggest difference was the subtle, smoky eye make-up that illuminated Ginny's brown eyes. "She did an amazing job, you look beautiful. I think maybe you should hire her to do your hair and make-up for the wedding."

Ginny looked into Hermione's mirror at herself and nodded her agreement, "Now I just need to decide which pieces of the jewelry Harry has given me would look best with this dress."

"Actually, I have the perfect solution to that," Harry said as he appeared in Hermione's doorway.

"Harry," Ginny cried happily as she ran to embrace him, "You look great."

"I look like rubbish next to you," Harry said as he spun her around, "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks to Lavender," Ginny said, "She gave me a makeover this afternoon after Hermione made a mess out of my hair."

"What did Hermione do to your hair?" Harry asked as he peered at it suspiciously.

"She put too much curling tonic in it. I will probably have slightly curly hair for weeks to come. But it will be fine," Ginny said, "Lavender saved the day. Now, what were you saying about jewelry?"

From his pocket Harry pulled a small velvet box and said, "This is for you. As soon as you told me that your dress had violet in it I remembered that this was in my vault. I sent a letter to Gringotts and asked them to send it to me."

"You spoil me Harry," Ginny said as she accepted the box, "Thank you."

"It used to be my mother's; it's nice to know that her jewelry is getting some use again," Harry said proudly. Ginny opened the box to reveal a pear shaped amethyst pendant and matching earrings. The pendant was in a yellow gold setting with a trio of diamonds.

"Harry," Ginny breathed, "It is beautiful, thank you."

Harry took the box from her and said, "Let me help you put them on."

Hermione watched from her doorway as Harry carefully fastened the pendant around Ginny's neck and handed her the earrings to put in her ears before he pulled her into his arms and kissing her. When the kiss ended he looked into her eyes and said, "I've missed you."

"Me too," Ginny said, "Let's have a great time tonight."

When Ron arrived in the girls' dorm a few minutes later the four of them set off to the Great Hall together. Harry couldn't help but remember the other ball he had attended at Hogwarts as they walked. The ball during his fourth year was in celebration of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He knew already that tonight's ball would be immensely more enjoyable. Attending a ball with someone you loved was much different than attending with someone who agreed to go simply so they would have a date with which to attend. He watched Ron and Hermione walking down the corridor ahead of them holding hands; this ball was going to be different for them too. Four years ago they had not gone together; their relationship had not begun yet, but their feelings were already starting to simmer beneath the surface. Together they made a lovely couple and it made Harry glad to see his best friends so happy together.

When they arrived in the Great Hall, it looked amazing. All the plans that Hermione and Ginny worked on had come to fruition and the Hall was transformed. The walls and floor were a shiny black with a delicate silver design etched onto them. The pumpkins and candles that usually decorated the Great Hall for Halloween were still present; just in a more elegant form. The were thousands of black candles in silver candelabras floating near the enchanted ceiling casting a spooky, yet romantic glow over the Hall. Scattered through out the hall were large pumpkins that instead of being carved with evil or scary faces were carved to match the silver design on the walls and floor. It was elegant and romantic while still being very clear that these were Halloween decorations.

They were the first to arrive, but as the planners Hermione and Ginny had to meet the band when they arrived. While they waited Harry pulled Ginny onto the large silver dance floor in the middle of the room saying, "Maybe we should test out the dance floor." He spun her before pulling her into his arms and dancing to a tune that Ginny began to hum.

After a bit she said, "I never thought you liked dancing much."

"I don't," Harry said, "But it is different with you and trying out the dance floor gives me a change to touch you and have you in my arms, something I have been missing for weeks and weeks."

"Me too," Ginny agreed.

Shortly after the band arrived students began making their way into the hall. Somewhat reluctantly Harry and Ginny abandoned the dance floor; dinner was to be before the dancing. They found their way to their table near the front of the hall where they were seated with Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Lavender, Dean, Seamus and Pansy. Harry wondered if Pansy would feel odd sitting at a table comprised of mostly Gryffindors but she seemed to simply be enjoying Seamus' company.

Just as their food orders were arriving from the kitchens below Hagrid approached the table and asked Harry for a word. Harry gave Ginny a quick peck on the cheek as he rose and said, "I'll be right back."

Hagrid escorted Harry into the entrance hall before saying, "Your services as an auror are being requested by the Head Mistress."

"What's going on?" Harry whispered as they hurried not to McGonagall's office but out the oak front doors and toward the gates.

"Malfoy's trial concluded today. He wasn't chucked into Azkaban with his idiot of a father but put on probation," Hagrid explained, "His probation allows him to return to Hogwarts to finish his education and so he has arrived. The Head Mistress needs you to search his belongings and escort him into the school. You will accompany him to the Head Mistress' office for a review of the rules that he is to abide by while here."

Harry sighed and asked, "I'm the only one who can do this? Tonight is the ball and it is really important to Ginny that I am there with her. We've barely had two minutes together in the last month."

"Sorry Harry," Hagrid said, "Reed couldn't spare anyone tonight to deal with Malfoy but as a condition of his being back here, an auror needs to be in close supervision of his return tonight. He said we were welcome to put you on this assignment."

Harry grumbled under his breath, "The one assignment I'd be happy to let someone else take."

"Do you have your auror badge with you?" Hagrid asked.

"Shoot, I left it in my room," Harry said, "I'll just accio it."

As Harry pulled his wand from an inside pocket of his robes Hagrid said, "Accio your time turner as well so that you won't have to miss too much of the ball."

"Brilliant Hagrid," Harry said, "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

After his badge and time turner had flown into his hand they continued on toward the front gates, outside of which Malfoy was waiting to be admitted entrance. When they were just a few yards away, Harry heard Malfoy's familiar drawl, "What is taking so bloody long?"

"You'll hold your tongue if you know what's good for you boy," Hagrid gruffed, "You are lucky to back here at all and you'll show some respect to those in positions of power regarding your future back here. If you can't manage that, we'll send you right back home."

Malfoy sighed before saying, "You're right, I'm sorry." Harry was surprised to hear the grudgingly genuine tone in his voice. Hagrid opened the gate allowing Malfoy to enter, dragging his trunk behind him. When he stopped before them, Malfoy said as he eyed Harry, "I thought there was supposed to be an auror here to supervise my return."

Proudly Hagrid nodded toward Harry and said, "There is. Auror Potter was kind enough to take the time to come down and ensure that things go smoothly."

Malfoy gaped and Harry could see how hard he was struggling not to vocalize all the nasty barbs that were springing to mind. Finally he said, "Very well, let's get on with this then."

Harry meticulously emptied and studied every item in Malfoy's trunk. He used some spells Noah had taught him during training that would reveal if any items were concealed inside other items. Harry realized as he finished his work that he'd be surprised if Malfoy would jeopardize his chance to get back to normal life. From what Harry knew Draco had been an unwilling participant to the Death Eater activities his family had dragged him into. Nevertheless, his commitment to being an auror required that he complete this task thoroughly no matter what his personal opinions were.

"The items in your trunk are clean," Harry said, "Can you turn out your pockets?"

Draco pulled from his pockets his wand, a bag of gold, a pocket watch and a letter. Harry nodded and Draco returned the items to his pockets. Harry levitated the trunk in front of him and the three of them began to walk toward the castle in silence. In the entry hall, Hagrid took the trunk and left Harry and Draco to continue onto McGonagall's office. The walk to her office seemed much longer than usual in the awkward silence that hung between them. When they finally reached the gargoyle Harry said, "Snape," and it sprang aside. Harry gestured for Draco to precede him up the spiral stairs.

"Come in," Head Mistress McGonagall called when Harry knocked on the door. Draco entered the office ahead of Harry and took one of the seats that she gestured to in front of her desk. "Harry, I apologize for ruining this evening for you; I know you and Ginny have been looking forward to it."

"Its fine," Harry said as he took his seat beside Draco, "I'm needed here and I can make up the time."

Understanding his meaning she gave him an amused smile before saying, "Very well, let's get on with things. Mr. Malfoy, let me start off by saying that if the decision was solely mine to make you would not have been allowed to return here this year. I realize that you were released on probation but it is not your guilt or innocence in the atrocities that Lord Voldemort inflicted that concerns me. In the seven previous years that you have spent at this school, I have seen few redeeming qualities in you. You need to keep in mind this year that if you do not follow the rules and regulations set before you, I will use that against you to remove you from this school for good. Do you understand?"

Draco's face remained neutral as he firmly said, "Yes, I understand."

She handed each of them a piece of parchment that listed the expectations set forth by the Ministry. As they followed along she read, "One, you are expected to follow all the rules outlined for any student of Hogwarts. Two, there will be no tolerance for bullying. Three, all your mail in or out of the castle will be searched. Four, for you alone, any areas of the castle or grounds that are not your dorm room, class rooms or common areas are out of bounds. Five, Quidditch matches and Hogsmeade weekends are off limits for you. And finally, six, you will have regular meeting with Auror Potter and myself throughout the year to track your progress."

"We reserve the right to add to this list at any time as we see fit," Harry added.

"I understand," Draco said, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to return here this year and move forward with my life. I will not disappoint you."

"I should hope not," Head Mistress McGonagall said, "Draco, you may return to your common room. Harry, you may return to the ball, have a lovely evening."

Harry descended the spiral stairs just behind Draco and was surprised to see him waiting for him at the bottom. Harry sucked in a breath, preparing for the insults to start flying.

"Potter," Draco said, "I never thanked you for saving my life, so, thank you." Draco extended a hand and tentatively Harry shook it. "I know we have had our differences in the past but I'm back here to make a new start, I hope you can give me a second chance."

"Don't give me any reasons to question your motives and we won't have any problems," Harry said sternly.

"I won't," Draco said, "Thank you. Have a good night."

Harry headed back toward the Great Hall and tucked into a hidden alcove where he put the time turner around his neck and turned it once, taking him back an hour, which was approximately the amount of time he'd been gone. He kept a close eye on the entry hall and when he saw himself and Hagrid pass by he waited a few minutes more before returning to the table beside Ginny.

"That was quick," Ginny said.

"Actually it was about an hour," Harry whispered, "I used the time turner."

"What's going on?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Malfoy's back," Harry whispered, "As an auror they needed me to supervise his return under the terms of his probation."

"Wow," Ginny said, "How did he seem?"

"He seems sorry and like he wants to make a fresh start," Harry said, "Not that he has a lot of choice. If he puts one toe out of line, McGonagall will have him out of here so fast it'll make his head spin."

"Is your responsibility in his return over?" Ginny asked.

"No, as the on-site auror I have to keep an eye out and have meetings with him and McGonagall to check in on his progress," Harry said, "But let's be done talking about him and eat our dinner."

As Harry ate his dinner he looked around the hall at the Slytherin students. He wondered how Malfoy being back would change things. So far this year the Slytherins seemed to be fitting in and making a real effort to connect with students from other houses. While Malfoy was unable to cause trouble and bully, there was no real way to stop the other Slytherins from rallying around Malfoy and returning to their old ways. Harry sincerely hoped that everyone was looking to continue moving forward.

"You're awfully quiet," Ginny said as Harry picked at the remains of his dessert.

"Just thinking about how things might change with him back," Harry said.

"Who's back?" Pansy asked from a few seats down drawing the attention of the entire table.

"You'll all find out soon enough but keep it to yourselves tonight," Harry warned, "Malfoy is back."

Pansy paled noticeably but said nothing. Seamus turned to Pansy and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Pansy said, smiling, "Want to dance?"

Taking their lead all the couples at the table moved onto the dance floor. After dancing to several songs Ginny asked, "Can we talk about wedding stuff?"

"Sure," Harry replied.

"Mum says that we need an even number of ushers. You either need to ask one of my brothers to step down or find some else to ask too," Ginny said.

"How about Noah?" Harry asked tentatively. Harry knew that Ginny hadn't been Noah's biggest supporter in the beginning.

"You two do seem to have become pretty good friends," Ginny said, "I'd be fine with that."

"I know he and I didn't start out on the right foot and you took offense with him over that, but we are friends now and it sounds like when I graduate from auror training, he and I will be partners," Harry said.

"Really?" Ginny said.

"Yeah, I mean, it makes sense. He's training me; at the end of this year he and I will know each other's style and quirks better than anyone else. Its that sort of knowledge that leads to the best partnerships," Harry said.

"I can understand that," Ginny said softly, "I think you and I know each other better than anyone else on a personal level and we will shortly be entering a kind of partnership of our own."

Harry smiled down at her and said, "Yeah. Any other wedding stuff to talk about?"

"Mum wants to know if you want to invite the Dursleys," Ginny said hesitantly.

Harry was quiet for a moment before saying, "I don't know. Let me think about that one for a day or two."

"Fair enough," Ginny said, "How's that surprise you are working on for me coming along?"

"Right on schedule," Harry said with a grin.

"Any hints?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"Nope," Harry said as he bent to kiss her.

"Damn," Ginny said, "How about our honeymoon, is that all planned?"

"Just about," Harry said, "And don't even think about asking where I'm going to take you, I'm not telling."

Hours later as the clock was nearing midnight the four of them, as well as many of the professors were shooing students out of the Great Hall and toward their waiting beds. When the Great Hall was empty of students, a few well placed spells quickly returned the Hall to its usual configuration.

Headmistress McGonagall hurried over to them as they were preparing to head up to bed and said, "You four did a wonderful job on the ball. It was by far the best organized I've ever seen."

"That'll be Hermione's doing," Ron said.

"Thank you," Hermione said happily.

"Harry, might I have a word?" McGonagall asked.

"Certainly," Harry replied as he followed her further back into the Great Hall.

"I have been in contact with Reed and Kingsley about Malfoy's return to Hogwarts this evening. They wanted me to remind you that you should write up a report about your experience of tonight's events regarding Malfoy and submit it to them no later than Monday morning," She said.

"Okay," Harry agreed, "No problem."

"He didn't give you any trouble did he?" She asked.

"None," Harry said, "In my opinion, he seems remorseful and just hoping for a second chance to move forward with his life. He has done a lot of things that I do not agree with but I think his family had a lot to do with that. I'm not sure he chose his path of his own accord. He and I will never be friends but I do believe that there is still some hope for him to become a decent person."

"Thank you Harry," McGonagall said, "I appreciate your opinion."

"However," Harry added, "I agree with how you are handling his return; he needs to prove himself and behave as a model student if he wishes to remain. Anything less and he poses too big a risk."

"I'm glad you agree," She said, "You may go."

Harry joined Ginny by the stairs and together they made their way up to their dorm rooms. Together they went into Harry and Ron's dorm and closed themselves into Harry's bedroom. Ginny had been hoping to take a trip up to the astronomy tower but she could see how tired Harry was. "How many hours have you been awake today, thanks to the time turner?" Ginny asked him.

"Going on twenty, I think," Harry said with a yawn.

"You should go to bed," Ginny whispered as she begun unbuttoning his dress robes.

"Only if you come with me," Harry said, "Its been too long since you snuck into my bed to sleep."

"I know, I missed it too," Ginny said, "Of course I will."

When Ginny had stripped him down to just his undershirt and boxers he pulled Ginny toward him and settled her on the end of the bed. Standing before her he pushed her head gently down and began to carefully slide the bobby pins out of her hair one by one.

"There must be hundreds of them," Harry mused as he dropped them into a pile on the bed beside her, "I'm surprised you can even hold up your head."

Ginny laughed and wiped a single tear off her cheek as her hair slowly unwound from her head. She couldn't believe how sweet he could be sometimes and with a pang she realized just how much she had missed him in the last month. While she sat beside him in classes and at meals and she captained alongside him on the Quidditch pith and she patrolled beside him the corridors, there was nothing quite like these small moments they shared together. She promised herself that no matter how difficult the rest of the school year was she would make sure they had opportunity to share times like these. Their future partnership in marriage depended on making the most of what they had and not wasting even a second of it.

"Thank you," Ginny whispered when her still curly hair was free and he'd massaged her scalp a bit. Grabbing a tee-shirt out of his dresser she said, "I'll be right back."

In the bathroom she removed her dress and bra before pulling on his tee-shirt over her panties. She combed her hair and washed her face before returning to his room. He was already fast asleep in his bed with the covers drawn back, waiting for her. She climbed in and pulled the covers over them. He woke long enough to mumble, "Love you," and kiss her on the lips. She snuggled into his arms and whispered back, "I love you too."

**Author's Note: **A big huge thank you to **Terraferme** who not only did the editing/betaing on this chapter but has been going back through the previous chapters of this story to find my past mistakes. I am so thankful for your help!! You are amazing.

I want to thank everyone who has been reading this story and taking the time to review. I enjoy hearing from everyone so, so much. It means a lot to me that you would take time to send me even a tiny message letting me know that you are enjoying the story and that you want to hear more. Many of your names have become familiar and I love hearing back from you. So – thank you, thank you, thank you! It inspires me to write the next chapter that much faster, every time.

I think there is going to be one more chapter before we start getting into the chapters of the story dedicated to the wedding. Let me know if there is something you want to see before we get there. I love hearing suggestions from people reading this. Sometimes I'm too close and I can't see a really obvious direction that this could and sometimes should be taking.

If you want to see the jewelry Harry gave her there will be a link on my profile.

Anyway– thanks again! Best, Tinkerbell


	23. The Fight

About a month after the Halloween Ball, Ginny found herself marching purposefully toward the Headmistress' office. She was steeling herself to do something she should have done ages ago. The last straw had been watching Harry struggle to stay awake while grading Defense Against the Dark Arts essays and finally casting a charm on himself to wake up every time he started to nod off. He was overloaded with responsibilities and something needed to be done. Ginny had tried to convince Harry to speak with McGonagall himself but he'd refused, stating that he could manage. The problem was he was just barely managing anymore. He was getting everything done but not at his usual standards. As she approached the stone gargoyles outside McGonagall's office, she drew in a deep breath and uttered the current password, "Black," before climbing the spiral stairs. She knocked briskly on the door and was surprised when she heard, "Come in, Miss Weasley."

Ginny entered the room and asked, "How did you know it was me?"

"One of many of the Headmistress' secrets," she replied with a smile. She gestured to one of the chairs before her desk and, as Ginny settled herself, asked, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here on Harry's behalf," Ginny said, "He's too stubborn to come out and say that he needs some relief. He is overloaded with responsibilities and frankly, I'm concerned for his health. He's barely sleeping or eating. He feels like its his duty to be able to manage all of it and he'll be failing if he has to give some of it up but he is just one person…"

"I see your point, Miss Weasley," she interrupted kindly. "I've been keeping an eye on him the last couple days myself and coming to the same conclusion. I only worry that he'll feel like we don't have faith in his abilities if we simply remove some of his responsibility. I'd like for him to be a part of this discussion as well."

"Of course," Ginny said. "I just wanted to make you aware of the situation and get some conversation started. I'm sure that when we discuss this with Harry, if the opportunity to give up some of what is on his plate arises, he will not refuse."

"I'm just saying that we need to handle this with some grace and tact," McGonagall said. "How would you feel if Harry came to me on your behalf?"

Ginny thought for a moment before understanding what she was saying. "I would be upset at first; I mean, I can take care of myself. We need to make him understand that we are concerned about him and not that we think he can't handle it all."

"Exactly," Headmistress McGonagall agreed. "I'll take into consideration all of what Harry currently takes responsibility for, and you bring him by my office after your last class this afternoon, and we'll discuss it."

"Thank you so much," Ginny said.

"You're very welcome," she replied warmly. "It makes me happy to see the two of you already taking such good care of one another."

Ginny blushed and said, "Thanks," before heading back to the heads' dorms. She let herself into Harry and Ron's dorm through the study area and knocked gently on Harry's door before letting herself in.

"I'm in here," called Harry's voice through the open adjoining door to the bathroom.

Ginny leaned on the doorframe and watched him shaving in front of the mirror. His eyes looked weary and dark rings had appeared below them. He gave her a warm but tired smile in the mirror and said, "Good morning."

"What's so good about it," she countered. "You look exhausted."

"I'm fine," he said.

"You're not though," Ginny said. "You shouldn't have to put charms on yourself to make it through all your work."

Harry sighed and said, "If you are going to badger me some more to go and complain to McGonagall, you can just save your breath. I can manage."

"It's too late," Ginny said. "I just came from her office. I went and spoke to her about you. We're meeting with her this afternoon to discuss your responsibilities."

Ginny could see the anger flare in his eyes. McGonagall had been right. "You had no right to do that Ginevra. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can," Ginny replied softly. "But you're not doing a very good job of it lately and I'd prefer you didn't die of exhaustion just yet. I know you're angry with me…"

"You bet I'm angry," Harry yelled. "You don't think I can handle everything. How else, but angry, am I supposed to feel?"

Ginny started again, "I know you're angry with me but I'm worried about you. I know that you can handle everything but you aren't taking care of yourself. You're not sleeping and you're not eating enough. Please, let's meet with McGonagall and see what she can do to help."

"Are you sure that this isn't just you feeling neglected because I have a lot going on right now?" Harry asked roughly.

"That's not fair Harry, and you know it," Ginny spluttered. "You know I feel neglected but I would never go to McGonagall over just that. We only get a few minutes here and there but compared to last year, being away from you, its a dream and I take what I can get. Be honest with yourself Harry; when was the last proper meal you ate where you sat in the Great Hall and ate until you were full and when was the last day that you didn't use the time turner to squeeze everything in and when was the last night that you got more than four or five hours of sleep at a time? Are you happy living like this? It doesn't have to be this way. I didn't go to her because I don't think you can do it; because clearly you can. I went to her because you're going to make yourself sick if you keep doing it and I care about you."

Harry avoided her eyes in the mirror as he applied toothpaste to his brush. Before he jammed it into his mouth he said, "I'll think about it."

Ginny took that as her cue to leave. She hurried back through the study area and into her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and let out a shaky breath. She couldn't remember Harry ever being this angry with her. As she packed the books she'd need for her classes into her bag, she heard a quiet knock on her door followed by Hermione's voice asking if she was okay.

Ginny opened the door and said, "I'll be fine. He'll calm down."

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"He's angry with me because I spoke to McGonagall on his behalf. He has too many responsibilities and he's not taking proper care of himself. He didn't take it so well. He seems to think that I did it because I'm feeling neglected or because I think he can't handle it all. I know he can handle it all, he is now, but he is going to make himself sick if he keeps it up. And I do feel neglected but, like I told him, I see him more now than I did last year and that is all that matters," Ginny explained.

"He'll come around," Hermione said, "I'm glad you said something. I was getting ready to if no one else did. He really isn't looking good these days. Want to go down to breakfast with Ron and me?"

"Sure," Ginny said.

Ginny sat across from Ron and Hermione who chattered to her ceaselessly while they ate. She knew they were trying to keep her spirits up but it wasn't helping. She hated having Harry angry at her. Part of her had hoped that he'd be relieved that she'd gone and spoken to McGonagall on his behalf. By looking at it from his perspective, she could understand his anger. She just hoped that he would consider the situation from her perspective as well. She kept glancing toward the entrance to the Great Hall, waiting for Harry to appear. When their first class was due to start in just over ten minutes, Ginny gave up hoping that he'd appear and piled some toast and sausage into a napkin to bring to him.

When she entered the Charms classroom, she saw him sitting at their usual table. She was unsure if she was allowed to sit beside him. Tentatively, she approached the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her and without looking at her or speaking to her, pushed her chair out with his foot. Sad that he was still angry, but glad that he wasn't so angry that he preferred her to sit elsewhere, she sank gratefully into her seat and pushed the napkin wrapped food across the desk toward him. "I brought this for you," she whispered. As she turned to pull her book and parchment from her bag, she heard him munching the toast.

Harry spoke to her during Charms but Ginny could tell that it was only because, as her partner during the lesson, he had to. When the class ended, he rose quickly from their table and left the room without waiting for her. Her eyes prickled uncomfortably with tears but she willed them not to fall. Crying would get her nowhere and it was her own fault that he was angry with her. She was starting to wonder if going to McGonagall had been the right thing to do. She gathered her bag and prepared to head back up to her dorm. Harry had Auror training with Noah and she had a free period. She wished she had a class right now, she could use the distraction. She was the last student to leave the room and was surprised to see Harry standing awkwardly in the hallway.

She could see in his eyes that he was still angry, but slightly less so. He leaned toward her and kissed her chastely on the cheek before saying, "Thanks for breakfast." Then he turned and hurried toward the classroom that he and Noah used for the mental part of their lessons now that the weather was getting colder.

As Harry made his way to the classroom, he tried to push the image of Ginny's sad eyes out of his mind. He was still angry with her. Granted it was starting to ebb a little but he was not ready to make up just yet. When he kissed her a moment ago, it was simply a gesture to reassure her that things had not changed between them. He might be angry, but first and foremost, he still loved her. If he was honest with himself, the idea that some of his responsibility might be taken off his shoulders was a huge relief. He just didn't like the way Ginny had gone about it. He realized that he hadn't given her much of a choice but going to McGonagall behind his back like that made him feel weak and incapable. Just thinking about it again made his anger flare and Noah noticed when he slammed his bag onto his table.

"Everything okay?" Noah asked.

"Yeah," Harry muttered. "Well, no" he amended. "Ginny did something that really makes me angry and we've been fighting about it all morning."

"Want to talk about it?" Noah offered.

Harry shook his head no and was quiet for a moment before launching into the whole story. When he'd explained it all, he asked, "What do you think?"

Noah chuckled and said, "I'm glad you didn't want to talk about it." He earned a small smile from Harry before continuing, "Now don't get angry at me, but I agree with Ginny." Seeing Harry's furious expression, Noah held up a hand and said, "Hold on, before you yell at me, let me explain. You have been looking dreadful for a month now. Ginny is right in saying that you aren't taking proper care of yourself. You obviously aren't getting enough sleep or food and I know that because you've been starting to drag in physical training. You're Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, a NEWT student, and an Auror-in-Training; not to mention the fact that you're planning a wedding. You're a lot of things to a lot of people and you aren't taking enough time for yourself. If you don't let McGonagall take some things off your plate, I will insist that she does. I cannot believe that you'll get the full merit of your Auror Training if you aren't getting enough rest or nourishment."

Harry let Noah's words sink in before sighing and saying, "I see your point and Ginny's too. I just feel like it makes me a failure."

"You aren't a failure," Noah chided, "There's no student in this castle who is less of a failure than you."

"I feel like everyone has this higher expectation of me because of what I did and I try to live up to it but, honestly, I could use some help," Harry admitted.

"That's all Ginny was trying to help you do," Noah said.

"I was a complete ass to her this morning," Harry said. "I can't believe I yelled at her."

"I'm sure she understands," Noah said. "No one likes to be told what they can't do."

"Thanks Noah," Harry said.

"Any time," Noah replied. "Can we move onto our lesson now?" Harry nodded and Noah continued, "Today, we are starting on all the different spells with which you can disguise yourself. I'm sure you have learned a few but there are over a hundred of them and the more of them you can learn, the more successfully you'll be able to disguise yourself out on a case. Here's a list of all the most common ones used in our department including the incantations and descriptions for each."

Harry scanned the list with interest and chuckled out loud at a few of the descriptions, "Why would anyone try to disguise themselves by engorging their tongue? Or giving themselves a rash?"

"Well, the idea is that you should use several in conjunction to disguise yourself. For example," Noah said as he took out his wand. Pointing it at himself, he rattled off, in quick succession, several of the incantations on the list and suddenly he had shoulder length blonde hair, a bulbous nose, watery brown eyes, and a pimply complexion.

"Cool," Harry said. "Can I try?"

"Sure," Noah said. "Go for it."

Harry perused the list for a minute before, like Noah, pointing his wand at himself and carefully pronouncing several incantations. Harry watched in a mirror that Noah had propped on the teacher's desk as his hair became a lime green Mohawk, his nose thinned and became pointed, and a smattering of freckles covered his face.

"Not bad," Noah said appraisingly. "But the idea is to change your appearance and become inconspicuous. A green Mohawk is a bit attention grabbing. I do like that your freckles cover up your scar a bit, those can be tricky to hide. If you'll notice, you said the incantation for violet eyes but your eyes didn't change. Try again." Harry repeated the incantation but his eyes remained stubbornly green. Noah pointed his wand at Harry and repeated the incantation as well, but nothing happened. "Sometimes that happens. Some physical traits are so strong that they cannot be changed. Reed's ears will not change no matter what he tries. Katherine used to have a beauty mark that wouldn't be hidden."

"What do you mean, used to?" Harry asked.

"She went to St. Mungo's and had it removed permanently," Noah said.

"What about you?" Harry asked, "Anything you can't change?"

"Not that I've discovered yet," Noah said, "I'm surprised that it is your eyes that won't change and not your scar."

"Me too," Harry said as he absently ran a finger over the scar.

"So, for the next lesson, I want you to practice changing your appearance and have five different disguises ready to show me. Remember that you want to be inconspicuous," Noah said. "Any questions before you take your quiz on chapter 6 of the handbook?"

"Does '_Finite_' change my appearance back to normal?" Harry asked.

"Actually, for disguise spells you need to say '_Finite Dissimulo_;' dissimulo means disguise in Latin. It makes it a bit harder to break a disguise charm," Noah explained.

Harry pointed his wand at himself and said, "_Finite Dissimulo_," changing himself back to normal.

"Just remember that these incantations, like many I've been teaching you, might seem fun but are Ministry secrets. Not that others couldn't do some research and discover them on their own, but if everyone knew them, it wouldn't give us any kind of advantage," Noah said.

"Not to mention that the Death Eaters would just use it to change their appearances," Harry added.

"Exactly," Noah said.

Harry took his quiz, which seemed painfully easy after the amount of time he'd spent studying for it. They left the classroom to complete their physical training. Harry was surprised when Noah didn't turn toward the front doors but instead, headed up the marble staircase.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked.

"I asked Headmistress McGonagall about somewhere warmer we could train now that the weather is as cold as it is. She seemed surprised that you hadn't suggested the Room of Requirement to me yourself," Noah said.

"I didn't think of it," Harry confessed. "It was burned with Fiendfyre during the battle and I didn't think it would still function."

"She didn't say anything about it being destroyed," Noah said with a shrug. "Let's go see."

They climbed several flights of stairs before arriving at the corridor the room resided in. Harry paced the blank stretch of wall three times while thinking, "We need somewhere to train." He was shocked when he turned and a door had appeared. Maybe the Fiendfyre only destroyed the form of the room in which people hid things. Harry followed Noah into the room and chuckled appreciatively. It was a cross between the room they had held their DA meetings in and a muggle gym. There were two treadmills, hand weights, fencing equipment, jump ropes, a rock climbing wall, stair stepping machines, a pool, and a shower and locker area.

"Well, this will work," Noah said. "Get changed."

Harry wondered how that would work when his Auror training gear was out in the locker room for the Quidditch Pitch. But when he opened the locker with his name on it, it was all there. Amazing, he loved magic.

"What first?" Harry asked when they were both changed.

"You know we always run first," Noah said as he headed toward the treadmills. While they looked like regular muggle treadmills they weren't. The most obvious difference was that they didn't run on electricity. Then, of course, there was the fact that with a flick of his wand, Noah could make Harry's treadmill do exactly what his did and, as far as Harry could tell, the program was designed as they ran and Noah just had to mutter instructions. By the end of their run, Harry rather wished they had been running outside in the cold after all. Noah was fond of throwing in steep inclines and rapid pace increases that didn't naturally happen outside.

"Let's do some weight lifting then we can either fence or climb the rock wall," Noah offered.

All during their weight lifting session, Harry contemplated the rock climbing wall but, in the end, decided on fencing. He'd been hoping to fence with Noah their last few lessons but Noah had other things planned.

Over the months of training since school started, Harry and Noah had become equally matched at fencing. They had started keeping track of how many times each had won. Right now Noah was up by one and Harry desperately wanted to take the lead.

Part of why they had become so equally matched was that they knew each others moves as well as they knew their own and it had become hard to surprise the other and easier to anticipate what was coming. Not that Harry had a lot of spare time but when he had a quiet moment, he often thought about their fencing and some different tactics he could try.

So far today, each had won a round. They were tied at fourteen touches in the final round. Harry desperately wanted to win that would put him one match over Noah. Harry was trying to come up with a move that would take Noah by surprise. Just as he thought that it was too bad that he couldn't just jump over him and hit him from behind, a spring board appeared and Harry did just that. He laughed with glee as he won the round and remembered that the Room of Requirement could always provide what one most needed.

"I'm pretty sure that was cheating," Noah accused.

"On what grounds," Harry challenged.

Noah ran his hand through his hair before asking, "Where did that even come from?"

"This is the Room of Requirement, that is how it works. Watch," Harry said. "Wow, am I thirsty." No sooner that the words left his lips, than a water cooler appeared near the lockers.

"I'll give it to you this time but next time you are not allowed to accept help from the room." Noah said.

"I didn't plan to do that. I had been thinking in my head that it was too bad I couldn't just jump over you and hit you from behind when it appeared," Harry said. "I had to do it."

"I would have done it too," Noah replied with a laugh. "Alright, hit the showers."

Harry showered and redressed in his school robes quickly. It was lunch time and he needed to find Ginny and apologize to her. He'd been pretty harsh with her earlier. As he walked quickly to the Great Hall, he realized that it was the first time since they'd gotten back together that he'd gotten really angry with her. She was bound to have realized it as well. He would have to find a way to make it up to her tonight; after all she had only been looking out for his best interests.

When he entered the Great Hall, he was glad to see her sitting next to Hermione. He'd been slightly worried that she would be upset enough to be up in her room. He dropped his bag on the floor and sank into the seat beside her. He could visibly see her tense up as she noticed his arrival. He placed a hand on the small of her back and quietly asked, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," She replied. Together they rose and walked out into the entrance hall where it was quieter.

"Gin, I'm so sorry for the way I reacted earlier," Harry said. "Can you forgive me?"

"Maybe," Ginny said. "Have you changed your mind?"

"Yes. I'll meet McGonagall with you and figure out what responsibilities I can give up. You're right. I'm not getting enough sleep or nourishment and its affecting everything. I'm spreading myself too thin and nothing is getting the focus it deserves," Harry said.

"I was never trying to make you feel…"

"Like a failure?" Harry supplied.

"I just hate to see you so worn out and miserable," Ginny said. "That's part of my job now, looking out for you."

"I do appreciate it," Harry said. "Even if I did a lousy job of showing it this morning."

"You were partially right though, part of my reasoning was selfish. I never get time alone with you to relax and just enjoy being together," Ginny said. "I see you everyday and I miss you."

"I know," Harry said. "I miss you too."

"We're okay then?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Harry said as he leaned in to kiss her. Quickly the kiss deepened as they enjoyed the contact they craved so much.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley," McGongall said in a warning tone as she walked past them into the Great Hall. Reluctantly they separated and headed back into the Hall.

As they walked back to their table Ginny asked, "What changed your mind?"

"I told Noah the whole story and he agreed with you. It really irritated me at first but then he told me that he'd been noticing the same thing for the last month and had been contemplating talking to McGongall himself. He said that, during the last month, I've been dragging during physical training. I need to start getting more rest and nourishment if I'm going to keep up and do the best I can in Auror training," Harry explained.

"So, Noah can say exactly the same thing to you as I did and you'll hear his logic but not mine?" Ginny asked.

"It's not like that. I thought a lot about what you said. I think it was more that I had to hear it from more than one person before I really believed it. I thought maybe, because of our relationship, you were coddling me," Harry said.

"I wouldn't do that," Ginny argued. "I know what you're capable of."

"I know and I won't forget it again," Harry said.

Later than afternoon, when they'd finished their Potions lesson, they headed up to Headmistress McGonagall's office together to discuss Harry's responsibilities. Once seated before her desk, she said, "I've considered everything you have on your plate and I have a few suggestions. First, let's take you off patrol duty at night. There are three other head students who can alternate. You will still be a head student but you could use that extra hour every evening for homework or planning your lessons. If we get into a bind as far a patrol duties are concerned, you can fill in but in no way do I want you patrolling on a regular basis. Second, I have decided that I will take on reading and grading the essays that your students write weekly. Ever since taking on the post of Headmistress I have missed that aspect of teaching. It will be quite a nice opportunity for me. If I get too busy to do it, I can ask the other professors to lend me a hand. I think those two changes should free up a fair amount of your time. But if you feel that won't be quite enough, I supposed you could step down from the Quidditch team…"

"What?" Harry and Ginny cried in unison.

To their surprise, she laughed and said, "I'm just joking of course; I just wanted to see your reaction." From behind her desk, they heard a chuckle out of Dumbledore's frame. Harry looked up at him and received a wink.

Late that afternoon, Ginny sat at Harry's desk doing her homework while he napped. They had talked for a while lying on his bed. Once he'd fallen asleep, she moved to his desk to get some of her work done, after all, she still had patrol duty later. She was just so relieved that he was finally going to have a little bit less to try keep up with and she sincerely hoped that the changes would afford her a little bit more time alone with him.

As dinner time approached, Ginny wondered if she should wake him. He looked so peaceful and he really needed the sleep but she didn't want him to miss dinner either. Luckily she didn't have to decide. At that moment, he woke up and asked her, "Care to have dinner with me?"

"Sure, let's go," Ginny said.

"Come here for a minute first," Harry said making room for her beside him on the bed. She climbed onto the bed and snuggled into his warmth. He pulled her on top of him and looked up into her eyes. "I'm so sorry about earlier today. You were absolutely right and I'm already feeling better. Thank you for looking out for me."

"You're welcome. I know how you can repay me," Ginny said. He nodded for her to continue and she said, "Kiss me."

Harry complied eagerly, pressing his lips to hers and letting everything but her fade into the background. As the kiss deepened, his hands found their way to the expanse of smooth thigh that was covered by neither her skirt nor her stockings. Her mouth moved to his collar bone as his hands slid up her smooth legs under her skirt to cup her bottom. A small gasp escaped her mouth as he squeezed her backside. Breaking their contact momentarily, he sat up and pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. Her mouth returned to his as her hands grasped the hem of his undershirt and began to pull it upward.

"Guys?" called Ron's voice through Harry's door as he knocked. "Hermione and I are going down for dinner, want to come?"

Taking a moment to regain his voice Harry yelled, "Go ahead, we've got our own plans."

"We do?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Yes, but do you want to get back to what we were doing?" Harry asked as he tried to recapture her lips with his own.

At that moment Ginny's stomach rumbled loudly and they both laughed. "Ron kind of ruined the mood anyway," she said.

Harry put his shirt, tie and robes back on before turning to Ginny and asking, "Ready?"

"Yes, where are we going?" Ginny asked.

"You'll see," Harry said with a grin.

They stopped outside the Room of Requirement where Harry paced the stretch of wall three times thinking, "I need somewhere romantic for a dinner for two." When the door appeared, it had ornate ironwork and a stained glass window. Harry pulled the door open and said, "Ladies first."

When he followed Ginny into the room, he couldn't believe his eyes. They appeared to be outside a small café in Paris at twilight. A table for two with a glowing candle and a rose in a vase was waiting for them. Harry pulled out a chair for Ginny then moved to the other. They looked over their menus and, like they did in the Great Hall for the Yuleball, simply told their plates what they wanted to eat and it appeared. As they ate and visited, the evening grew darker and the stars began to appear. In the distance, they could even see the Eiffel Tower's lights illuminate the night sky. When they had finished their meal and dessert, they rose from the table and magically, violin music began to play.

"May I have this dance?" Harry asked.

"Of course," she replied with a grin.

They danced in silence for awhile just enjoying being together. Finally Ginny asked, "I thought you said this room was destroyed during the battle."

"I thought it was," Harry said. "But McGonagall told Noah we could use it for training now that its too cold to train outdoors. I was shocked when we came up here and it opened for us. Maybe just the room that everyone used to hide things in was destroyed."

"Well, I'm glad its here, this is amazing," Ginny said. They danced in silence for a bit more before Ginny spoke again, "I need you to make me a promise."

"Okay," Harry said tentatively.

"In a month from now, we will be getting married," Ginny said. "I won't survive the first several months of our marriage if they're like the last two months of the school year have been. After the Halloween Ball, I vowed that we were going to be better about having time together and then you got even busier. That _will _not happen again. I know that our meeting with McGonagall today should help out your schedule a lot, but I need you to be aware of how it will affect us if things go back to how they were."

"I understand," Harry said. "And I'm sorry that things got worse after Halloween. I didn't intend for that to happen. I'm happy with how the meeting with McGonagall went today and I'm very relieved to have less to look after. If you even sense that things are starting to go back to how they were, talk to me about it. The last thing I want to do is make things harder for you. Okay?"

"Okay," Ginny agreed.

"You know? Even though there has been very little time for us, I think about you all the time," Harry said. "Sometimes, it was probably a good thing we didn't have all the time we wanted together, because the closer we get to the wedding, the harder it is to restrain myself."

"I know what you mean," Ginny said, "I go to bed at night and I dream of you. I relive all our steamiest moments in my head and anticipate what is still to come."

"One more month," Harry said.

"It is going to be the longest month ever," Ginny said.

"Maybe," Harry mused as he leaned down to capture her mouth with his own.

**Author's Note**: Hi All! Thanks for reading! I'm sorry for the delay. I got really good at posting very often for a while there. I went away on vacation and that has been the delay. But now I'm back home and hopefully I can get back on track with posting more regularly.

Big, Huge Thank you to Terra Ferme for betaing/editing this chapter for me. You rock and without you my story would have lots and lots of annoying mistakes. Thanks!

So this is the last chapter before I start writing about the wedding. If you have suggestions about the wedding, let me know. I always take suggestions into consideration.

I know some of you were hoping to see another Auror training session – hope this didn't disappoint. It was kind of a downer chapter because they were fighting…but no one's relationship is perfect all the time. Plus, I wanted to get the issue of Harry being too busy out of the way before they are married. Originally, I was going to have Harry go to McGonagall and ask to have some of his responsibility removed, but he isn't the type to give up and, in my opinion, he feels all of this is his duty. I think doing it this way was more realistic.

If you feel inclined, send me a review. I love to hear how I'm doing.

Thanks!

Tinkerbell


	24. Frustration

**~ WARNING ~**

**The content in this chapter is slightly more mature than it has been in my other chapters. While I do maintain a mature rating on this story I thought I would warn everyone. If you'd rather not read the smutty imaginings of my mind…you should proceed with caution. Actually, you could just skip the section below in italics and you'd be safe.**

It was still relatively early on Saturday morning considering that she and Harry had just finished coaching their final Quidditch practice before the winter holidays. They wouldn't have another match until next term but neither wanted their team to get rusty over the long break. As she watched steam rising off the hot water in her bath, Ginny thought quietly over their practice and the disappointed look on Harry's face when she headed back to the castle without him. She was still upset about the previous evening. She tapped one of the spouts with her wand and a stream of frothy white bubbles poured out; mixing with the water they released a light floral scent. Ginny hung her robe on a hook and eased herself into the hot, sudsy water. A sigh escaped her lips as the heat worked its magic on her Quidditch worn muscles.

Their last day of classes this term would be on Wednesday. The wedding was on Saturday and Christmas was the following Monday. Ginny couldn't believe that in just one week she and Harry were getting married and she would be Mrs. Potter; she couldn't wait. Despite having full schedules, the past three weeks had been torturously slow. Thanks to her interference, Harry had more time to slow down and spend with her, and thus, ample opportunities for further temptation. While they had promised to wait until their wedding night, the last several weeks proved to be testing their resistance.

As she soaked in the hot water, she closed her eyes and thought back to the previous evening when they'd snuck off to the Astronomy Tower. They'd thought that if they fooled around somewhere more publically accessible than their dorm rooms, not to mention colder, they'd manage to be better behaved; she knew they hadn't really succeeded though. The only thing last night's rendezvous seemed to produce was her current irritation with Harry.

_By the hand, Harry led her up the stairs into the tower. She shivered as the cold air hit them and he pulled her into his arms. "I'll warm you up," he growled as his lips made contact with the sensitive skin below her ear and her hands slid under his shirt to trace the layer of muscle he'd acquired in the last several months of Auror training. She loved running her hands over his toned flesh and feeling the muscles quivering beneath. His hands moved to her throat and began unbuttoning her shirt as his mouth worked its way across her collar bone and down toward her cleavage. Her breath hitched as his mouth drew dangerously close to the swell of her left breast above the cup of her bra. Internally, her mind battled with whether to make him stop or beg him to take her here and now. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding when his mouth lost contact with her skin. When she opened her eyes, he was smirking at her. "What?" she asked, slightly irritated by the loss of contact. "I like knowing I have that effect on you," he teased. In retaliation, she trailed her hand against the front of his trousers, pressing against the hard length within; he sucked in sharply at the contact and with a smirk of her own, she replied, "Me too." His mouth connected with hers as he backed her toward the lone desk in the tower. He positioned her on the edge before settling into the space between her thighs and pressing himself intimately against her. His hands moved to the bare skin of her thighs above her knee socks and etched random patterns with his fingertips as his hands slowly moved higher under her skirt. Her hands froze on his chest as he continued to kiss her and his hands continued their journey upward. When the pointer finger of Harry's right hand brushed against her knickers, three things happened simultaneously; Ginny's lips separated from Harry's with an audible smack as she gasped and ripples of pure lust and anticipation flooded through her body. Spurred on by her hormones, Ginny crushed her lips back to Harry's as she held his hand firmly in place. Harry's finger traced over the lacy detail of her knickers before retreating. He pulled back and huskily said, "One more week, we can wait one more week." Ginny nodded as she turned away to re-button her shirt. Harry grasped her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. He said, "It's not that I don't want to…this isn't me rejecting you…we promised to wait and we're so close." Ginny nodded to show him that she understood though she wanted to cry in frustration. She was tired of waiting. _

"Ginny?" Hermione's voice called through the bathroom door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Ginny called back, shaking the thoughts of last night out of her head.

Hermione stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "Ginny, I…," Hermione looked at her oddly before asking, "Ginny, are you okay?"

"Why?" Ginny asked.

"You're all flushed," Hermione said.

"It _IS_ a hot bath," Ginny said as she gestured to the water around her.

"No, it's more than that," Hermione said.

"Just thinking," Ginny protested.

"Thinking about what exactly?" Hermione asked with a grin.

"My wedding is a week from today, what do you think I'm thinking about?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

Hermione chuckled a little before saying, "Finally getting to shag Harry?"

Ginny's eyes widened at Hermione's choice of words before replying, "Is it that obvious?"

"Lucky guess," Hermione said with a grin and continued, "Wanna talk about it?"

"It's just getting harder and harder to wait the closer to the wedding we get," Ginny explained.

"Just one more week," Hermione said. "You can make it."

"I know," Ginny said. "It's just hard not to take it personally when we're trying something new and suddenly he pulls away."

"One more week," Hermione repeated.

Ginny sighed dramatically as she let her body go limp and sink under the water. When she resurfaced a minute later, Hermione asked, "Better?"

"Sure," Ginny agreed.

"You know," Hermione said. "A normal bride would be worrying about her dress or flowers or the seating chart; not why the groom won't shag her before the wedding."

"What happened to you being so against that word?" Ginny asked. "It's unnerving to hear it come out of your mouth."

Hermione shrugged and said, "Your brother has finally succeeded in corrupting me, I guess."

"I'll say," Ginny said with a snort, thinking of the other ways Ron had corrupted Hermione.

Ignoring her, Hermione plowed on, "Are you worried about the wedding at all?"

"No, my Mom and Fleur have it all under control. We planned all of it before we came back to school anyway," Ginny said. "I would marry Harry in my bathrobe out in the backyard. I just want to be married to him."

Hermione smiled softly and said, "I know."

"Did you want something?" Ginny asked.

"Oh yes," Hermione said, remembering why she had come into the bathroom in the first place. "You have plans this evening at seven, okay?"

"What am I doing tonight at seven?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"It's a surprise, but wear a dress," Hermione said. "I'll meet you in our dorm ten minutes before seven."

"Am I going to like this surprise?" Ginny asked.

"I hope so," Hermione replied.

Ginny quickly finished her bath while trying not to let her mind wander back to last night again. When she returned to her bedroom wrapped in her robe and with her wet hair trailing down her back; it was to find Harry sprawled across her bed waiting for her.

"I thought maybe you'd drowned in there," he said lightly, looking up as she came into the room.

"Nope, just taking my time," Ginny replied as she rummaged in her dresser for fresh clothing.

"Don't be mad at me," Harry whispered as he stood up and pulled her toward him.

"Who says I'm mad?" Ginny replied in a falsely bright tone.

"The way you chucked that quaffle at me during practice kind of clued me in," Harry explained.

"It didn't hit you," Ginny said defensively but with a regretful look on her face.

Harry chuckled and said, "As much as I love your temper, its damn inconvenient sometimes. I know you're upset with me for stopping last night. I didn't want to stop. I just don't want us to regret not making it for one last week."

"I'm so tired of waiting," Ginny whined.

"I know," Harry agreed as he eyed the way her robe was starting to gap at the top. "I am too. You think I'm not thinking about tugging the belt of your robe so it falls open and I can see you naked? Because I am…"

"Then when you had me naked, what would you do?" Ginny urged him on, biting her lower lip.

Harry's eyes glazed a bit before he shook his head and said, "It is good thing we didn't opt for a summer wedding. There is no way in hell we would have lasted."

Ginny laughed and said, "I'm sorry Harry. I know that you stopping says more about your self-control than how desirable I am; but I tend to lose sight of that in the heat of the moment."

"Gin, don't ever think it is because you're not desirable. You have no idea how much I want you," Harry said, "In fact…I need to leave the room so you can get dressed because right now nothing is more tempting than you in that flimsy robe."

They spent the rest of the day together; doing homework, packing for the upcoming trip home and relaxing. After dinner together, they returned to their dorms; before reluctantly going into her bedroom to change, Ginny asked, "Do you know what Hermione has planned for me tonight?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "But I'm on strict orders not to tell you."

"Will I like it?" Ginny asked.

Harry thought for a moment before saying, "I'm really not sure."

Ginny rolled her eyes at him before retreating to her room to change into a dress. Once in the dress, Ginny supposed she could do something with her hair and put on a little make up. At ten minutes to seven, she opened her door to reveal Hermione waiting for her.

"I was just about to knock," Hermione said. "You look nice."

"Thanks," Ginny said. "Now, what am I all dressed up for?"

"You'll see," Hermione said as she pulled Ginny toward the door.

Finally they reached the Great Hall and, as Hermione directed Ginny through the door ahead of her, a chorus of voices shouted, "Surprise!"

Ginny entered the Hall and saw a fairly large group of girls and women up near the front of the room. There were lots of red and white decorations and huge pile of presents. "What is all this?" Ginny asked as she spotted her Mum and Fleur waving at her from near the mountain of gifts.

"We're throwing you a bridal shower," Luna answered from Ginny's right.

Ginny blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected this. Part of her detested the whole girly tradition of bridal showers but a bigger part of her was pleased and amazed that her friends would do something this sweet. Hermione pinned a corsage to her dress, then pulled her toward the front of the group and settled her into a chair facing everyone. Seated on her left was her Mum, and on her right, Fleur. Ginny wasn't even sure what sort of things went on at bridal showers.

Hermione asked everyone to take a seat. Once she had the room's attention, she said, "We're going to start out with a few games. This first game is just for Ginny. We want to see just how well she knows her husband-to-be. Ginny, in my hand is a list of questions that I have already asked Harry. For every question you get right, you get a point and for every question you get wrong, you lose a point. At the end of the game, you have to have a positive number of points or else…"

"Or else what?" Ginny asked.

"You'll just have to hope that you have a positive number of points," Hermione said.

"Fine," Ginny grumbled, not sure she liked where this was headed.

"Number one," Hermione said. "What color are Harry's eyes?"

"Green," Ginny said.

"Correct, question two, what is Harry's favorite color?"

"Red," Ginny said.

"Correct," Hermione said again. "Question three, how old was Harry when he found out he was a wizard?"

"Eleven," Ginny said confidently.

"Correct, question four, when did you and Harry first meet?"

"At King's Cross when he boarded the train for his first year," Ginny said.

"Wrong," Hermione said. "While you first saw Harry at King's Cross when he boarded the train for his first year, you weren't properly introduced until the summer before his second year when he came to stay at the Burrow."

"Shoot," Ginny muttered.

"Question five, when was your's and Harry's first kiss?"

"His sixth year, in the Gryffindor common room after the Quidditch final," Ginny said, blushing slightly, as a few in the group cat called and whistled.

"Correct, question six, what place feels more like home to Harry than any other?"

"Hogwarts," Ginny said.

"Correct," Hermione said. "Question seven, when did Harry first tell you that he loved you?"

"Late at night in the backyard after Fred's funeral," Ginny said quietly.

"Correct," Hermione said. "Question eight, when Harry came back from his first Auror mission, what did he bring you?"

"A necklace from Greece," Ginny said.

"Correct," Hermione said. "Question nine, what was Harry's first owl named?"

"Hedwig," Ginny replied.

"Correct, question ten, what does Harry want more than anything?"

"A family," Ginny said.

"Correct," Hermione said. "You got nine correct and just one wrong; very good."

"Well, they weren't very hard questions," Ginny muttered.

"Of course they weren't hard for you," her Mum whispered. "But I didn't know half of those things. I think the game was more of a fun way for people to learn some things about you and Harry."

"Our next game is for all of you," Hermione announced. You are going to get into groups and write a short poem about Ginny and Harry. When the time is up, I'll read all the poems and Ginny can pick the one she likes the best and that group will win a prize."

"Poems?" Ginny muttered.

"Oh, just you wait," her Mum said. "Some people can come up with some really good ones."

People quickly split into groups and got to work. During the fifteen minutes that Hermione had allotted, Ginny talked about wedding details with her Mum and Fleur and wondered what Harry and Ron were doing back in their dorms. It was probably more fun than this. Finally the time was up and Hermione collected the poems. She moved back toward the front of the group to read the poems.

"Here's the first," Hermione said:

_There once was a witch named Ginny_

_Whose heart belonged to dear Harry_

_Her red hair and temper bewitched him_

_And soon they are going to marry_

The poem got a smattering of applause. Hermione's eyes twinkled as she read the next:

_Harry and Ginny are getting married_

_They are so sappy and corny_

_Holding hands and snogging lots_

_But really I think they're just horny_

"Oh my," Mrs. Weasley said but Ginny just chuckled, the poets had no idea how close to the truth they were.

_Harry and Ginny sittin' in a tree_

_K-I-S-S-I-N-G_

_First comes love_

_Then comes marriage_

_Then comes Ginny with a baby carriage_

"Nice try," Hermione said regarding the poem she'd just finished reading, "but this is a well known muggle rhyme." She glanced down at the next poem and blushed brilliantly. "I can't read this," she hissed. Luna stepped up, grabbed the paper and read:

_Frog spawn is green_

_Fairy dust's white_

_After their wedding_

_Harry and Ginny are gonna shag all nite_

A guffaw of laughter that was clearly masculine sounded from behind Ginny's chair. She quickly turned and reached out for Harry's invisibility cloak that she knew had to be there. She found the cloak and whipped it off of Harry's head with a grin. Ginny gasped when Ron was exposed as well. Despite fierce protests from Hermione, everyone convinced her to let them stay as long as they behaved themselves and didn't ruin anymore poems. She reluctantly agreed and waved to Luna to read the next poem.

"There is one poem left," Luna said and she read:

_Harry and Ginny were meant to be_

_Anyone should clearly see_

_Their first kiss,_

_It was pure bliss_

_They'll be together for eternity._

"Now, Ginny, and Harry too, I suppose, will choose which poem they liked best and that group will win a prize," Hermione announced.

Ginny and Harry huddled together off to one side with the poems and reread them, trying to decide which should win. Truth be told, they enjoyed the humorous poems the most but thought picking one of them to win would embarrass and scandalize Molly.

"Since the humorous ones might kill your Mum, let's not pick the frog spawn one," Harry said. "The last one was my next favorite."

"Mine too," Ginny agreed.

Hermione announced the final poem as the winner and awarded prizes to Lavendar, Pavarti, Padma and Pansy.

Turning back to Harry and Ginny, Hermione said, "I'm going to have to insist that Harry and Ron leave now."

"But why?" Ginny said. "Who cares if they stay?"

"I do," Hermione said. "And based on the content of several of these gifts, I'd think you would too."

"Why?" Ginny said. "What's in them?"

"Don't you know?" Hermione asked.

"No, I usually make it a point to steer clear of these sorts of events," Ginny whispered.

Hermione leaned her mouth close to Ginny's ear before whispering, "Lingerie, that is what inside a fair few of these gifts, I'd guess."

Ginny's mouth fell open in surprise before asking, "Like fancy knickers and stuff?"

"Yes and nighties that you can wear for Harry on your honeymoon," Hermione explained.

"Harry," Ginny said weakly. "You'd better go."

"But why?" Harry protested. A moment later, Hermione was quietly explaining something to Harry and Ron. When she'd finished, they turned bright red and made no further protests.

Once they'd gone, Hermione started handing her gifts to open. Most of the gifts were useful things she and Harry could use when they had their own house like dishes, pots, pans, towels, pillows, rugs and various other household necessities. But there were also gifts of the sort Hermione had mentioned. The first that Ginny opened was a slim box that had Hermione's name on the card. Ginny wondered what lovely item Hermione had given her for their home and was taken by surprise when from the box she pulled a long lavender satin nightgown. It was beautiful but Ginny still blushed imagining wearing it for Harry on their honeymoon. Her mother had given her a hand written book with spells and recipes that had been handed down through her family. Luna gave her a necklace made of odd looking bluish seashells. She claimed that if worn during a full moon it would promote fertility and help the wearer to conceive a child. Ginny vowed to herself to tuck Luna's gift far away, she was nowhere near ready to have a baby. Ginny was also taken off guard by Fleur's gift. When Ginny pulled the lacy, transparent nightie from the wrappings, Fleur proclaimed, "I have one similar to this and it is Bill's favorite." She and Hermione exchanged a quick horrified glance with one another over this piece of information. When all the gifts had been opened and Ginny possessed more racy nightgowns than she thought she'd ever manage to wear, she stood in front of her friends and prepared to thank them.

"Thank you all for coming and thank you for all the nice gifts. I'm sure Harry and I will get a lot of use out of all of them. I can't believe that the wedding is just a week from today. We appreciate all your love and support and hope to see all of you at the wedding," Ginny said.

Everyone applauded and Hermione announced that she would be serving dessert in just a minute. Ginny hugged Hermione and said, "Thank you. I never would have guessed I'd enjoy a bridal shower, but this was really nice."

"You're welcome," Hermione said. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

During the next hour, Ginny enjoyed dessert while visiting with all the guests who had come to her shower. By the time the last guests had left the Great Hall, Ginny was feeling amazed and overwhelmed by the lovely and supportive things everyone had said to her. Ginny's gifts were packed into two trunks which Molly and Fleur were going to take back to the Burrow with them. As Hermione, Luna, and Ginny escorted them up to the fire in Headmistress McGongall's office, they chatted.

"Thanks for coming, Mum," Ginny said.

"Ginevra, you are my only daughter. I wouldn't have missed your bridal shower for anything," Molly said. Her eyes grew a little misty and she continued, "I can't believe you will be a wife in one week's time, how did you grow up so fast?"

"I don't know, Mum," Ginny said.

"I just realized that Ron is probably the only one of my children who will be living at home this summer," Molly said.

Hermione shot Molly a look over Ginny's shoulder; Ginny didn't yet know about the arrangements Harry had been making. Ginny wondered momentarily at the comment. She'd assumed that she and Harry would move back to the Burrow when the school year ended, at least until they rented an apartment of their own.

"I mean, my only child who isn't married," Molly amended, "I can't very well boss you and Harry around after you're married, can I."

"If we're living under your roof, you can boss us around, it's the least we can do," Ginny offered.

After seeing Molly and Fleur off, Hermione and Ginny returned to their dorm room where they found Harry and Ron playing wizard's chess while they waited for them.

"I can't believe you two crashed the shower," Hermione scolded.

Ginny just grinned as Ron said, "It was worth it to hear some of those poems. Who knew so many girls at Hogwarts have their mind in the gutters."

"I was shocked," Hermione said.

"Really," Ginny teased, "This from the girl who used the word s_hag_, twice in my presence today."

Hermione blushed brilliantly as Ron raised his eyebrows at her and asked, "Really, after all those times you scolded me for using such foul language."

Harry wrapped Ginny in his arms and asked, "Is what Hermione said true? Did some of those gifts contain sexy nightgowns and stuff?"

Ginny nodded and said, "Why? Does that excite you?"

"Maybe, a bit," Harry said.

Judging by the hardness she could feel grazing her lower abdomen, she guessed it was more than just a bit but she played along saying, "Well then, I can wear a different nightie every day for nearly a month if you want me to."

Harry made sort of a groaning noise of assent in the back of his throat as his lips found hers.

**Author's Note:** Hi all, thanks for reading. So, this is the first of the chapters dealing with the wedding. I'm unsure how many there will be exactly, I will play it by ear. As always, suggestions are welcome and encouraged. If there is some wedding tradition you would like me to include, let me know and perhaps I can oblige.

Thank you to Terra Ferme who is amazing and betaed/edited this chapter for me! You are awesome and always impress me with how quickly you get back to me. Thank you!!

These poems are pretty lame – I am not so good at poetry. I did go to a bridal shower once where they did this and the poems there were on the same level, so at least it is honest.

As I work closer to the wedding, we also grow closer to the wedding night. I know that my story has a mature rating, but for the most part my more mature scenes are pretty tame, at least in my opinion. I am interested in knowing how people want me to cover the wedding night. I definitely intend to write it but wonder if people want me to live up to my mature rating or downplay it and gloss over much of it. I am torn which is why I'm asking for the opinion of my readers. In many ways, this story is as much yours as it is mine and I don't want to disappoint so make your opinion known. Majority rules.

Thanks again for reading!!

Best,

Tinkerbell


	25. Advice

Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Luna were making their way toward Headmistress McGonagall's office to floo back to The Burrow. Their last class had ended ten minutes ago and term was officially over. In the morning, the Hogwart's Express would be carrying students home to their families for the holidays. Mrs. Weasley and Fleur had been frantic with wedding details all week and therefore had written McGonagall to ask that Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Luna be allowed to apparate or floo back to The Burrow as soon as classes ended on Wednesday evening. Personally, Harry would have liked the time on the train to relax and unwind before being plunged into the wedding chaos, but he knew that, as the groom, he should be lending whatever help he could in regard to the wedding. He knew Ginny was anxious to be home. Mrs. Weasley and Fleur had sent her so many owls with questions in the last week that it would be a relief just to be home to answer them in person. Headmistress McGonagall welcomed them warmly as they trooped into her office with their bags. She held out a container of floo powder and promised to see them all at the wedding in a few days time.

As soon as they had stepped out of the fireplace into The Burrow's warm kitchen, Molly took Hermione's, Ginny's, and Luna's bags, thrusted them at Harry and Ron, and hurryied the girls back toward the fireplace. "We're off to the dress maker's for a fitting, Fleur is meeting us there, see you all later." Ginny flashed Harry an apologetic smile as her Mum pulled her toward the fire not even leaving her a moment to kiss him good-bye.

"I'm surprised she didn't have some chore lined up for us while they're gone," Ron said as he let out a breath.

Just as he and Harry settled themselves at the kitchen table, Molly's head appeared back in the fire and said, "I almost forgot, could the two of you head over to Grimmauld Place? Kreacher asked that I send you along as soon as you returned home to make a final inspection of the house."

"It's ready?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Yes," Molly said with a proud smile. Molly had been let in on the secret about a month back when Harry had recruited her to do some shopping for him to stock the kitchen and bathrooms with necessities. After she'd done the shopping and spent some time at the house with Kreacher adding some homey touches, she'd sent Harry a letter saying how impressed she was, how beautiful the house was, and how proud she was that he was taking such good care of her Ginny. Anxious to see the final product himself, Harry rose from table and moved toward the fireplace.

"Coming?" He asked Ron, who was still seated at the table.

"Can we grab something to eat first?" Ron asked. "I'm starving."

"You're always starving," Harry replied. "Come on, I'm sure Kreacher will have something for us when we get there."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

At the dress maker's shop, it was decided that they'd look at the bridesmaid dresses first. Ginny was left sitting beside her Mum on a tiny, uncomfortable love seat outside the changing area at the shop. As Hermione, Fleur, and Luna changed into their dresses, it became increasing obvious to Ginny that her Mum was struggling to voice something. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny could see her twisting her hands in her lap, opening her mouth as if to speak before snapping it back closed and sighing. Just as she was about to ask if there was anything the matter, Fleur emerged from her changing room. The strapless red dress hugged her torso perfectly before belling out slightly from her waist and falling to just a quarter of an inch off the floor. It was a very simple gown; the only detailing was the slight pleating on the left hip that interrupted the smooth line of the dress.

"Oh, they're perfect," Ginny cried as she rose of the sofa. "They're exactly what I imagined."

"You girls look lovely," Molly added as Hermione and Luna also came out of their changing rooms.

Clapping her hands like a little girl, Ginny said, "This was supposed to be a surprise, but I can't wait." From the bag she had insisted on bringing along to the shop, she pulled three flat white boxes and handed one to each of her bridesmaids. "These are my gifts of thanks to each of you for standing up with me when I marry Harry. They are for you to wear at the wedding." Each opened their box to reveal a snowflake shaped pendant and earrings as well as an intricately hand knit shawl made of a fine silky white yarn.

"Ginevra," Molly gasped as the girls cast the shawls about their shoulders. "Did you knit those yourself? They're beautiful."

Ginny blushed a little as she replied, "Yeah, I thought strapless dresses might get a little bit chilly at this time of year and it might be nice if they had something pretty with which to warm up. They can't wear them during the ceremony, but certainly at the reception if they want to."

"Of course we'll want to, Ginny, I'm impressed," Hermione breathed as she adjusted the shawl around her shoulders and admired it in the mirror.

"I hadn't realized you knit," Fleur said. "I mean, I knew that you knew how but didn't know you liked it so much."

"It's been a good distraction for me since the battle. I knit whenever I'm trying to quiet my mind down or de-stress," Ginny admitted. "I've come to like it a lot more than I used to."

Molly fingered the shawl around Fleur's shoulders and studied the pattern before saying again, "They are just beautiful."

"Thank you," Ginny said. "Try the jewelry on too, I want to see how it all looks together."

After the dresses had been scrutinized and the hems measured, they were finally deemed perfect and the dress maker's assistant had taken them for one final pressing before packaging them to be taken back to The Burrow. Now, it was Ginny's turn. Inside the dressing room, Ginny carefully removed the dress from the hanger and stepped into it. Outside she could hear her Mum, Hermione, Fleur, and Luna chatting. Her Mum had offered to help her into the dress but Ginny wanted to see herself in it alone, first. It was slightly fancier than Ginny had ever imagined that she'd choose for her own wedding gown. The old cliché was true though, as soon as she tried this dress on she knew it was _HER_ dress and refused to try on any others. The word that sprang to mind when she thought of this dress was romantic. It was an off the shoulder dress with three-quarters length lace sleeves. The bodice was satin with a lace overlay that hit level with her collarbone. The waistline pleated like the bridesmaid dresses did, but to the right instead of the left. It was a classic a-line dress, which belled out at the waist like the bridesmaid dresses. There was a large lace panel on the front of the skirt that was only partly visible beneath the satin overlay that fell from the pleats at her waist. Finally, there was a chapel length train that bustled in the back. Ginny used her wand to zip up the back of the dress before really studying herself in the mirror. The dress fit her like a glove; it really was perfect. From her bag she pulled the heels, jewelry and the goblin-made tiara that belonged to Great-Aunt Muriel before opening the door and stepping out.

Molly instantly burst into sobs and buried her face in Luna's shoulder. Misreading the emotion as something other than a mother being overcome by the image of her daughter in her wedding gown, Luna said, "Oh, I don't know," as she patted Molly's arm. "I think she looks lovely."

"Oh Ginny," Hermione breathed, for once at a loss for words.

"It is perfect!" Fleur cried.

"All of you saw me in this dress back in August when we came shopping for it," Ginny said scandalized. "No one cried then."

"But that was the store's sample dress, it was two sizes to big and stretched out in the bust and part of the lace panel in the front was torn…," Hermione said, dabbing furiously at her eyes. "We could see how beautiful it could be, but this dress was made for you and its amazing."

"And to see you in the dress that you are to be married in three days from now," Fleur said. "It's an emotional thing."

Finally regaining herself a bit. Molly said, "Ginny, you look like a princess."

"You know I was never the kind of girl who wanted to be a princess, right?" Ginny asked.

Casting around for another way to explain to her tomboyish daughter how lovely she looked, Molly finally said, "Harry won't be able to take his eyes off of you."

Ginny smiled at that then asked, "Who wants to help me find my feet under all of this so I can try my shoes on with it?"

Hermione rushed forward and took Ginny's shoes while Fleur took the jewelry and tiara. "Did you want to wear a veil with the tiara?" Fleur asked.

"I don't know," Ginny said. "What do you think?"

"There are several here that we can try and see what you think," Hermione offered.

An hour later, after the hem was measured, the bridesmaids were taught to bustle the dress, and a veil that would work with the tiara was decided upon, they were finally ready to leave the shop. "Why don't you three go first," Molly said to Hermione, Luna, and Fleur, "Make sure that Harry is not under foot. We need to get Ginny's dress into the house without him seeing it."

Again Ginny and Molly were left alone on the cramped little love seat. "Ginny," Molly began. "As your mother it is my duty to make sure that you feel prepared for your wedding night."

Ginny groaned inwardly, not sure she could stomach this conversation. However, she nodded politely and her mother continued.

"Not to be entirely forward, but you and Harry haven't…," Molly trailed off. When Ginny shook her head no, Molly continued, "Okay, I didn't want to get into this conversation only to have you tell me that you lost your virginity months ago and I was wasting my time."

Flushing brightly Ginny said, "No, Mum, we're waiting for our wedding night."

"Do you have any questions for me about making love?" Molly asked steadily.

"_Merlin, NO_," Ginny thought to herself. Trying to decide between a cheeky answer or a serious one, she took a deep breath and replied, "Mum, you do know that I have six older brothers, right? I understood the technicalities of sex since long before my first year at Hogwarts."

"Those boys," Molly fumed. "Do you have any less technical questions then?"

Cursing herself mentally for what she was about to say, despite feeling it was necessary, to give her mother the moment she was looking for, Ginny said, "Mum, I would be glad to hear any information you want to pass onto me. Keep in mind though that if this makes you uncomfortable, there are other women I can talk to."

"But, I'm your mother," Molly said. "Who else would you go to?"

"Well, there's always Fleur," Ginny said, somewhat desperately. "_Or Hermione_," She thought to herself.

"I suppose," Molly said. "If you'd rather hear about these things from her…"

"No Mum," Ginny said softly. "I know that you are feeling like this is your last big chance to be my Mum and take care of me, but that simply isn't true."

"It's not?" Molly asked, looking relieved.

"Of course not," Ginny soothed. "Just because I'm getting married doesn't mean I won't need you anymore. I'm going to need you to help me figure out how to take care of a husband, to be on my side when Harry and I fight, and to brew us potions when we get sick, you know Harry and I are both dreadful at potions." Molly smiled, looking happier, and Ginny continued, "I'm going to need you when Harry and I haves babies of our own and are ready to tear our hair out." Molly grinned at this and finally Ginny said, "Most of all I need you to be my friend. While I may be all grown up that doesn't mean that our relationship is over."

"Oh Ginny," Molly said as she gathered her into a tight embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mum," Ginny said.

"So, where does that leave us on the wedding night advice?" Molly asked when she finally released her daughter.

"Can I be honest with you, Mum?" Ginny asked. Molly nodded and Ginny continued, "While Harry and I haven't made love yet, we've definitely felt the urge. I'm guessing that we'll naturally figure it out on our own."

"That's true," Molly conceded. "You know you can always come to me if you do have questions. I will leave you with one piece of advice; always remember to use some sort of contraceptive charm or potion if you aren't trying for a baby. It only takes one time to get pregnant. Oh, and remember to try new things in bed to spice things up from time to time…"

"Mum," Ginny said warningly.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry was amazed by the transformation Sirius' house had made. It had gone from being bleak and gloomy to light and open, and somewhere he actually couldn't wait to call home with Ginny. As he wandered from room to room taking in the renovations as well as the homey touches Hermione and Molly had been responsible for adding, he could picture the two of them living here. He could see Ginny sprawled across the plush couch in the sitting room after Quidditch practice waiting for Harry to get home from a day at the office. He could picture them eating breakfast together in the cozy dining room while they shared a copy of the Daily Prophet between them. Most of all, he could picture them snuggled together in the enormous new bed up in the master suite. He was touched by all the little details that Hermione and Molly had incorporated. There were pictures of Harry and Ginny as well as a host of loved ones through out the entire house. There was a large basket of balled yarn in the sitting room for Ginny. Books filled a bookcase in the sitting room and warm blankets were slung over the arms of several pieces of furniture. He couldn't wait to bring Ginny here on Saturday night after their wedding.

He reminded himself, as he walked back toward the kitchen, to tell Ginny on Saturday that this was their house together and she could change anything that she wanted. He wanted her to feel completely comfortable in their home and do whatever she wanted to that would make it feel most like home to her. The changes he'd made and the touches that her Mum and Hermione had added were simply somewhere to start to make it livable and make them forget what it was like as the Black Family residence.

Ron hadn't made it further than the kitchen where Kreacher had a plate of snacks waiting with tea. When Harry returned to the kitchen, he was surprised to see Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Neville, Seamus, and Noah all waiting for him with Ron.

"What's all this?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Isn't it obvious?" Bill asked with a grin. "We're throwing you a bachelor party."

"Tonight?" Harry asked.

"Mum insisted that if we were going to go ahead with this silly ritual, we should do it earlier in the week as not to interrupt anything else," Charlie explained.

"Did you know about this?" Harry asked Ron.

"Yep, Mum needed you to come here anyway to take a final tour of the place and it seemed like the perfect place to ambush you," Ron said with a smirk.

"Is this really your house, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "When my godfather, Sirius, died, he left it to me. I've been having it remodeled so Ginny and I can live here after we're done with school, but don't tell Ginny, it's a surprise."

"Is this where you two are staying for your wedding night?" George asked.

"Yes, but don't get any ideas," Harry retorted, glancing around the room at Ginny's brothers. "I know all the spells to keep you lot out."

"Don't worry," Charlie said. "Ginny would hex us into next year if we tried anything to ruin your wedding night."

"Aren't you worried about what I'd do to you?" Harry asked.

"Not compared to Ginny," Ron muttered. "Harry, being as smitten as you are with our sister, you may not be aware of this fact, but she's got a mean temper on her."

Harry chuckled and said, "I am well aware of Ginny's temperament. She chucked a quaffle at me just last week when she was angry with me."

"Why was she angry with you?" Bill asked, grinning.

"That's none of your business," Harry said as heat crept up his neck.

"I know why," Ron said gleefully.

"Ron," Harry said warningly.

"I'll give you five galleons if you tell us," George promised.

"Wait," Harry said. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Why do you not want us to know so badly?" George countered. "It must be something good."

"Actually, I'm guessing it's something really bad," Charlie said with a knowing look.

Ron looked back and forth between Harry and George. In the end, the promise of five galleons was too strong to resist and he said, "As it turns out, Harry is very chivalrous, as all true Gryffindors should be. Hermione told me that Ginny was angry with him because he stopped while they were fooling around."

"What do you mean stopped?" Bill asked as he eyed Harry.

"You know when they were fooling around and things got really heated, he put an end to it," Ron said.

"And that made Ginny angry?" Bill asked.

Annoyed, but not wanting Ginny's older brothers to get the wrong impression, Harry jumped in by saying quickly, "I think more than anything she felt rejected; even though that's not how I intended for her to feel. We decided last summer that we'd wait for our wedding night; I was just stopping so we didn't get carried away. We only had a week left to wait at that point. I didn't want either of us to be disappointed later that we couldn't have made it one more week. In the heat of the moment, she didn't see it that way and felt like I didn't want her."

"I'm impressed Harry," Bill said.

"Yeah, well…" Harry replied, embarrassed. "Can we stop talking about my love life and get on with the bachelor party?"

"You want to have a bachelor party?" Percy asked. "I told them you wouldn't be interested."

"As long as it gets us off the topic of my love life, I'm fine with it," Harry said. "Plus, I know how pointless it will be to fight this. So I might as well go along with it and have some fun."

"Yes!" Ron said excitedly. "What are we doing first?"

"We haven't decided yet," Charlie said.

Ron groaned loudly and said, "I thought you said you had it all planned out?"

"Who told you that?" George asked.

"You did," Ron said.

"Well, I lied. We meant to have it all planned out but everyone had such good ideas that we never got around to narrowing them down to a final plan."

"So, tell me the ideas and we'll go from there," Harry said.

"Quidditch," Charlie said simply. "I've always wanted to see who's the better player, Potter, you or me."

"We should go and TP your aunt and uncle's house," George said. "With special toilet paper that is impossible to remove outside of magical means."

"Let's get Harry roaring drunk," Seamus suggested.

"Don't bachelor parties usually include some sort of dancing girls?" Ron asked.

"There will be no dancing girls of any sort," Harry said forcefully.

"Did you and Ginny ever go bowling like you were talking about?" Percy asked.

"No," Harry said. "But that could be fun."

"What about leaving a flaming bag of dragon poo on the Malfoy's doorstep?" George said.

"What is it about a bachelor party that suggests that vandalism is a good idea?" Noah asked George.

George shrugged and said, "I guess it is just in my nature."

"We could shoot off fireworks," Neville said.

"Or smoke cigars," Bill said.

"Fencing?" Noah said uncertainly as all eyes focused on him, waiting for him to offer a suggestion.

"What about a bonfire?" Charlie asked. "Roast some hotdogs and marshmallows…"

Harry and Ron groaned loudly at this suggestion, anything that reminded them in any way of camping was still unwelcome.

"Okay, not a bonfire," Charlie said. "Sheesh."

When no one offered any further suggestions for a few minutes, Bill broke the silence saying, "Well, Harry, you heard our ideas, what do you think?"

"Let's go bowling," Harry said. "I've always wanted to try it. Charlie, we will have that Quidditch match but not tonight. Ginny would probably refuse to marry me if she didn't get to be included."

The group found themselves at a bowling alley in London a short time later. They got two neighboring lanes and split into groups. Harry, Ron, George, Neville, and Noah took one lane; Bill, Charlie, Seamus, and Percy took the other lane. As they pulled on their rented bowling shoes, Harry stared around the alley studying other bowlers, trying to see how it was done. It didn't look so hard, just walk up to the line and chuck the ball at the pins.

"Why do we have to wear these disgusting shoes?" Percy asked with a revolted look on his face.

"The guy at the counter said something about how they protect the floor," Bill said.

"Harry, you're first," Ron said as Harry returned with a ball. Again, Harry studied the other bowlers and tried to mimic what they were doing. Awkwardly, Harry walked up to the line, swung his arm back, and let the ball go. Rather than gliding down the lane like it did for the other bowlers, it clunked to the floor like a lead weight and rolled into the gutter.

"Damn," Harry swore as the guys behind him laughed.

Harry took his seat but Ron said, "This machine that is keeping the score is saying it is still your turn."

"Oh, I forgot that if you don't get them all down on your first throw you get to go again," Harry said.

"You've bowled before?" Noah asked.

"No," Harry said. "Uncle Vernon used to watch professional bowling tournaments on the television. He didn't like me to be around while he was doing that, but I saw enough to pick up a few things." Harry picked up his ball when it shot out of the ball return. This time, he very carefully swung his arm back as he walked toward the lane and dipped down a bit as he released the ball. It still clunked a bit as it hit the polished wood floor but this time it slowly rolled toward the pins. It hit between the two pins furthest to the left side and seven pins fell down all together.

"Weak, Potter," Charlie called as he picked up his ball.

"Let's see you do better," Harry challenged.

Charlie grinned at Harry and strutted toward the lane. He swung his arm back and prepared to throw the ball. When his arm came forward the ball remained firmly attached to his hand, "Bloody hell," Charlie bellowed. "My thumb is stuck." Everyone laughed uproariously. Bill covertly aimed his wand at the ball and made the thumbhole a bit larger. Charlie tried again, throwing the ball with excessive force. It clattered noisy into the gutter at the very end of the lane. On his second try, Charlie used slightly less force and managed to knock down three pins.

"Weak," Harry parroted back at Charlie who gave him the finger.

Ron knocked down one pin on his first roll and got a gutter ball on his second try. Bill got seven pins like Harry, on his second roll. George was not careful to stay behind the line and when his foot made contact with the highly waxed lane, he ended up flat on his back with the wind knocked out of him. They howled with laughter when he finally rose and proclaimed, "Muggles are totally mental." When Percy stepped up and threw the ball it only went a few feet before stubbornly stopping in the middle of the lane. Eventually they discovered that George was using magic to freeze Percy's ball in place.

As the game progressed, everyone got the hang of it and were even managing to look like maybe they'd done this before.

"Ginny has five older brothers," Noah said as he settled into the chair next to Harry after his turn. "You're brave."

"Well, six actually," Harry said. "Fred died at the castle in May."

"Still, any guy willing to get involved with a girl who's got that many older brothers is brave," Noah said.

"Nah," Harry said. "I've known most of them since I was eleven. Ron and I became best friends on the Hogwart's Express. His family kind of adopted me as their own. I reckon I'm the only guy who really stood a chance with Ginny. They've known me forever and know they can trust me."

"But we will still pummel you if you hurt her," Charlie said as he eavesdropped on the conversation.

"You know Ginny is perfectly capable of pummeling me herself if I screw up," Harry shot back.

Noah snorted and shook his head, "It does seem like you fit in with them seamlessly."

"He's getting there," Bill said affectionately as slapped Harry on the back.

After two games, Harry had won a game on his lane and Noah won the other and Bill won both on his lane. As successful as the bowling had been, they decided it was time to move onto their next endeavor.

"You guys go on ahead," Bill said as he and Harry gathered the rented shoes to return to the counter. "We'll be right behind you. I just a moment to discuss something with Harry." Shrugging, the others stepped outside the bowling alley and apparated to their next destination. Uncomfortably, Bill said, "Harry, I promised Dad I'd talk to you."

"About?" Harry asked interested.

"Merlin, this is awkward," Bill said as he ran his hand through his hair. "You see, Harry, before Fleur and I got married, my Dad took me aside to offer me some words of wisdom about the wedding night. As he's probably the closest person you have to a father figure, he feels it's his duty, but wasn't sure how to approach it. I guess he thought it might be more welcome coming from me. Would you like any advice?"

Harry snickered at Bill's discomfort before saying, "Why don't you just tell me what he told you and then you've fulfilled your obligation."

It was Bill's turn to chuckle and say, "Unfortunately, I chose that moment to reveal to my father that I'd lost my virginity years before and he was either so embarrassed or disappointed in that fact, that the conversation ended before it could begin. But I'd be more than happy to offer you some advice if you'd like some."

Harry blushed as he ran his hand through his own hair before saying, "Sure, I guess. I mean, I know the technicalities of it…"

"I didn't figure you needed actual instructions," Bill said. "But do you know about contraceptive charms?" When Harry nodded, Bill said, "Well then I'll just tell you this; the first time for witches can be painful, just be gentle and take it slowly."

"Thanks Bill," Harry said quietly as he thought about that information.

"If you ever decide that you do have questions, just let me know," Bill said.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was well after midnight, Ginny was in the sitting room finishing the last sock she was knitting for Christmas. She had been disappointed when she'd returned from her dress fitting to discover that Harry was off with her brothers having his bachelor party. She was glad that they were spending the time with him, just sad that he wasn't home to spend time with her. Truth be told, she was starting to get irritated. She was tired and tomorrow would be another busy day preparing for the wedding. She wanted to go to bed, but not until she got to say goodnight to Harry.

Ginny made the last few decreases to finish the toe of the sock she was working on for Bill. She stretched happily; she'd done it, she'd finished a pair of socks for everyone in her family, Hermione, herself, and Harry. She gathered her knitting things back up and glanced at the clock, half past one in the morning. She sighed admitting to herself that it could be hours yet before Harry came home. She might as well just go to bed; she would see him in the morning. Ginny brushed her teeth and climbed into her bed. Just as she was about to fall asleep she heard a loud crash down in the kitchen followed by a lot of laughing and shushing. Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled her robe on over her nightgown before heading down to the kitchen.

When she appeared at the bottom of the stairs, she saw Harry and Ron trying to untangle themselves and get up from the floor and Bill, Charlie, Percy and George watching them, doubled up with laughter. "What a couple of light weights," George said through his laughter.

"Well, considering it is probably the first time either of them have been drunk," Ginny said disapprovingly. "It shouldn't come as a big surprise."

"Ginny," Harry said happily as he finally managed to extract himself from Ron. He stood unsteadily and reached out an arm toward her. She moved toward him and when she was close enough, Harry crushed her against his chest. She looked into his green eyes and could see how unfocused they were. "How much did he drink?" She asked her brothers. They were too busy watching Harry wrap himself around Ginny and bury his nose in her hair to answer.

"Merlin you smell good," Harry said. "Hey, I have to tell you something."

"This ought to be good," Charlie snickered.

"What is it, Harry?" Ginny asked as she cast a disapproving look at Charlie.

"You're so pretty, I love you," Harry said loudly before he tried to kiss her.

"Harry, I love you too," Ginny said as she tried to avoid his persistent lips, unwilling to put on a show for her brothers. "Let's get you to bed. I'll be back to deal with you lot in a moment," She said to her brothers as she steered Harry toward the stairs.

Clumsily, they made it all the way up to Ron's bedroom. Ginny pushed the door closed behind her and prepared to help Harry out of his clothes and into bed when he swept her into his arms and kissed her. As Harry deepened the kiss and skimmed his hands over her bottom, she realized that there was no way he could kiss her this skillfully if he was drunk. After another minute or two, she pulled away and said, "You faked being drunk?"

"Yeah," Harry smirked at her. "Your brothers were hell bent on getting me drunk to see what kinds of things I'd tell them, so after a few shots of fire whiskey, I started to act like I was."

"Why would you do that?" Ginny asked.

"There are enough horrible things in my past that I'm afraid of what I would talk about if I really did get drunk," Harry confessed. "Plus I was getting anxious to just come back home and see you."

"So, Ron is faking too?" Ginny asked.

Harry laughed loudly and said, "No, he'll be in pain tomorrow morning."

"Did you have fun?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah,' Harry said. "We went bowling, left a flaming bag of dragon dung on Umbridge's doorstep, and went to the Leaky Cauldron to smoke cigars and drink fire whiskey. Oh, and Bill gave me a sex talk."

"You too huh?" Ginny asked, "My Mum and I had that talk today after my dress fitting."

"Mine was mortifying, how was yours?" Harry asked.

"I don't remember, I performed a memory charm on myself," Ginny joked. "Just kidding, it was embarrassing but also kind of nice."

"Actually, mine was kind of nice too, in a weird way. It is just an uncomfortable conversation to have with your older brother. Better than your Dad, I guess," Harry said.

"I can understand that," Ginny said. "Did any of them give you a hard time."

"No, but the festivities began with everyone finding out that we were waiting until our wedding night to make love. Be prepared for all of them to take the mickey on Christmas Eve when we're back here," Harry said.

"You told them?" Ginny asked. "Willingly?"

"No," Harry said. "I was forced to tell them after Ron told them about how you got angry with me when we were fooling around last week. The look Bill was giving me made it necessary."

"Oh," Ginny said meekly. "And I suppose Ron knew because I told Hermione about it. Sorry, Harry."

Harry gathered her more firmly in his arms before saying, "I don't care what they think. It's a little embarrassing to have them all know our private matters but I'm glad we waited."

"Me too," Ginny agreed. "Even though I got frustrated the other night, I'm proud of us."

**Author's Note: **First, thank you to Terre Ferme, my outstanding beta for catching all my silly mistakes. You never fail to impress me with your speed at getting back to me!! You are the best!

Another chapter closer to the wedding. Thanks for reading! Let me know how I'm doing. Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about the wedding night. Everyone that responded wanted me to write the wedding night, which is what I hoped. I have led up to it enough that I can't really just skip over it. I will still post a warning so that those who aren't interested can skip past it. A few people pointed out that I didn't need to go into extreme graphic detail, but that isn't my style anyway.

This chapter, as well as the last few, have been a little on the girly side. I'm not sure how well I did on the bachelor party, as I'm a girl myself it's probably understandable, but hopefully it balanced out all the girly stuff lately. As always, if you have suggestions let me know! Thanks!

Oh, and if you want to see the dresses, I will place links in my profile.


	26. Wedding

The last few days before the wedding were full with preparations and passed quickly. Early on the morning of the wedding, Harry woke up in the attic with a smile on his face. Bill and Arthur had told him that it was natural for grooms to be nervous on their wedding day, but the only thing Harry was feeling was excited. He couldn't wait for Ginny to become his wife. His only regret was that so many of his loved ones wouldn't be with him to share this momentous day. As he lay in his bed and realized that this was probably the last night he would ever spend up in the attic with Ron, he also grew a little nostalgic. While getting married meant the start of a whole new adventure with Ginny, it would also mean that other things were ending or changing. Before he had a chance to get too lost in his thoughts, the attic door opened quietly and Ginny tiptoed over to his bed and climbed in.

"Couldn't sleep anymore either?" Harry asked as she arranged the covers around both of them.

"No," Ginny agreed as she burrowed into his embrace, resting her cheek against his chest.

"Nerves?" Harry asked.

"Not a chance," Ginny said as she shifted so her eyes were level with his. "Why, are you nervous?"

"Merlin, no," Harry said. "Just excited."

"Me too," Ginny said as she brought her lips to his.

"Wait, am I supposed to see you before the wedding?" Harry asked, suddenly concerned.

"Who knows, I know there is something about not seeing me in my wedding dress before the actual wedding," Ginny said. "But I'm not superstitious. You seeing me isn't going to wreck our marriage and if it does, we weren't going to last very long anyway."

Harry chuckled as he pulled her closer and said, "I love you. Let's just make sure your Mum doesn't catch you in here."

"I can't believe it's finally here," Ginny said. "We're actually getting married, _today_."

"I know," Harry agreed. "Even with the short engagement and school to distract us, it felt like a long time."

"I know, all the waiting is finally over," Ginny said huskily as her hands trailed down his back toward his bottom.

"Well, tonight it will be anyway," Harry said as his mouth moved to her neck.

"Did you hear that?" Ginny asked suddenly. "Sounds like Mum's up. I better go. I have to be ready for Lavendar to start working on me in an hour anyway. See you later?"

"Of course," Harry said. He kissed her one last time and said, "I'll be the deliriously happy looking one waiting for you at the front of the church."

"I can't wait," Ginny whispered.

"Me neither," Harry grinned.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ginny lay sprawled on her bed, in her bathrobe, as Fleur, Luna, and Hermione discussed with Lavendar, how they would like their hair done for the wedding. Hermione had magically expanded Ginny's bedroom so that an area could be set up for Lavendar and Pavarti, who had also come to help, to work in.

"And how would the bride like her hair?" Lavendar asked with a smile.

"I think mostly up," Ginny said. "There's a tiara and a veil to deal with, just so you are aware. I trust your judgment though, whatever you think is going to work best."

"I want a little bit more to work from," Lavendar pushed. "When you see a picture in your head of your self as a bride, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Thinking back to the dress fitting, Ginny smiled and said, "Romantic."

"Perfect," Lavendar said. "I can work with that."

As Lavendar got to work on Fleur's hair, Hermione came to sit with Ginny on the bed. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

"No," Ginny replied. "Just excited."

"That's good," Hermione said. "I saw Harry at breakfast and he said the same thing when I asked him."

"Good," Ginny said with a secret smile, she wasn't going to tell Hermione she had already seen Harry this morning. Hermione was probably the superstitious type.

"Do you want me to paint your toenails?" Hermione asked.

"Why?" Ginny replied.

"Just a nice touch, we could make them match your bouquet," Hermione suggested.

"I guess," Ginny said. "No one is going to be able to see them under my dress though."

"Well then, Harry will see them tonight," Hermione countered.

"I'm sure my toenails are going to be the most important thing Harry has to look at tonight," Ginny said sarcastically.

"Speaking of tonight," Hermione said slowly. "Are you nervous?"

"A bit," Ginny confessed honestly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione asked carefully. "I know your mother already tried to talk to you about the wedding night, but if you'd be more comfortable talking to me, I'm here for you."

Ginny didn't meet Hermione's eyes but nodded carefully. Thinking for a minute, she watched Hermione tap her toenails with her wand and color magically appeared. When each toenail was done, Ginny asked, "Does it hurt?"

"A bit, the first time; but it's not so bad," Hermione said. "The second time is better."

"What if I'm terrible at it?" Ginny whispered.

"You won't be," Hermione said. "Just do what feels natural and you'll be fine. You'll figure it out together as you go along."

"Thanks Hermione," Ginny said as she offered her hands to Hermione. "Here, do my fingernails too."

When Luna, Hermione, and Fleur had each had their turn with Lavendar, Ginny took a seat at the small vanity table and watched as Lavendar set to work with various tubes and bottles of magical hair potions. She watched in amazement for a while as Lavendar curled and pinned her hair. Eventually, she let her eyes drift closed as her mind wandered. She thought about the wedding and the vows she'd be reciting in just a few hours time. She thought about where Harry might be taking her on their honeymoon and how, when they returned here tomorrow night to spend Christmas Eve with her family, she and Harry could go to bed together in her room; no more sneaking around. Most of all, she thought about how in a few hours time she would be _Harry's wife_.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Harry, it's your turn," George said exasperatedly.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled as he played his turn at wizard's chess. His mind just wasn't on the game. He knew George was just trying to follow directions keep him occupied until the ceremony, but he wouldn't have minded just being left to think in peace.

Ron, George, Neville, and Harry had been sent ahead to the church and were to remain there until the wedding. The Burrow was too full this morning, and with Ginny and her bridesmaids preparing for the wedding there and Molly being so adamant about the two of them not running into each other before the ceremony, the only solution had been to send the boys out of the house. Harry smiled to himself remembering that he and Ginny had already spend time together this morning; their little secret.

"How much longer?" Ron asked for the third time in the last half hour.

"A little over an hour," Neville said calmly as he checked his watch.

Harry was starting to feel claustrophobic in the little room. An idea struck him. "I'm going to go out to the cemetery and visit my parent's graves," he said.

"Want company?" Ron asked hopefully, clearly also sick of the little room.

"I'd rather go alone if you don't mind," Harry said.

"No problem," Ron replied.

Harry pulled his winter cloak on over his dress robes and let himself out of the church. He breathed in the cold air deeply; it felt good to be out of that room. As he made his way to the back of the church where the cemetery lay, he took in the beautiful day. A fresh blanket of snow had fallen the night before and it covered everything. The sun was shining brightly and made the new snow sparkle. When he reached the place where his parents were buried, he cleared the snow away with his wand and conjured a Christmas wreath.

"Hi," he said, unsure where to begin. "Today is my wedding day." Quietly, he studied the headstones before continuing, "I wonder if there will ever be an important moment in my life in which I don't think of you. Not that I want to stop thinking about you. It's just that sometimes it seems odd to me that I think of you as much as I do when I knew you as little as I did. Does that make sense? I suppose even if I hadn't known you at all, as my parents, I would still think of you during the big moments of my life. I wish you could be here with me today. I wish that I could look back at you sitting in the pews, smiling proudly at me, as I marry Ginny. I will settle with hoping that where ever you are now, you are watching today and smiling proudly from there. Maybe gather Sirius and Remus to watch with you." He paused, wondering if he had the courage to voice this next bit out loud. He knew he was being rather silly, no one was actually around to hear him. He knew that even though he was talking to his parents, what he had to say next was something he was admitting to himself. "Sometimes I worry what kind of husband I will end up to be for Ginny. I mean, my best examples have been you Dad, and Arthur; neither of who I've gotten much time observing. I guess I will just do the best I can."

Harry stood there in the cemetery for a while just thinking about the wedding and his vows to Ginny. He thought about bringing Ginny back to their new home at Grimmauld Place this evening and the spectacular honeymoon he had planned for them; most of all, he thought about how, in about an hour, he would be _Ginny's husband_.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was a mere ten minutes before the wedding. The boys had been let out of the cramped little room so that Ginny and the bridesmaids could wait for the wedding in there. Ron, Neville, and George were helping the ushers escort guests to their seats in the tiny church. Harry was pacing in the coatroom off the entrance to the church. As the wedding drew closer, he was getting a bit nervous; but it had nothing to do with the act of getting married and everything to do with the audience he was going to do it in front of.

Ginny must have been feeling the same way because suddenly Hermione burst into the coatroom and demanded that Harry come with her. "Ginny wants to talk to you."

"But I thought I wasn't allowed to see her in her dress before the wedding," Harry protested.

"Well, we'll make sure you can't see each other," Hermione said. "You don't need to see each other to talk to each other."

Hermione dragged Harry toward the cramped little room and stopped outside the door. "Ginny, he's here." Ginny's hand poked out through the small crack they'd left in the door.

"Hold my hand, Harry," Ginny demanded.

Harry took her hand in his and asked through the door, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, it is now. I just needed to hear your voice. Sitting in this little room, hearing everyone arriving and not knowing if you were here somewhere or not, I just started to get nervous," Ginny explained.

"So, you still want to marry me in five minutes or so?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Ginny said. "It was just nerves, but not about marrying you. I got a little nervous about walking down the aisle in this dress and not tripping in my heels and everyone watching me…"

"Gin," Harry interrupted. "I know exactly how you are feeling. I was pacing over in the coatroom, worrying about the same sorts of things. We'll just focus on each other and let everyone else fade into the background."

"Thanks Harry," Ginny said drawing in a shaky breath. "I love you. See you in a few minutes?"

"You can bet on it," Harry said. "I love you too."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ten minutes later, Harry found himself standing at the alter with Ron, George, and Neville beside him. The ushers had escorted Ginny's family in, and lit some candles upon the altar. There were arrangements of Christmassy flowers spread around the church and, hovering near the ceiling, were the same magical balloons that had been at Bill and Fleur's wedding. These balloons were silver instead of gold though, to match the rest of the wedding décor. Music swelled out of the balloons and Harry knew that it was time. Luna, Fleur, then Hermione walked down the aisle, beaming at him as their carried their bouquets of white roses and holly. Then everyone in the church stood and Harry could see Arthur and Ginny standing at the end of the aisle. She had never looked more radiantly beautiful. As they made their way toward him, he never lost eye contact with her. As he had promised her outside the cramped little room earlier, the world shrank to just the two of them. He could feel the happy smile spreading across his face and, despite the happy tears shining in her eyes, her smile mirrored his. When they reached the front of the church, Arthur hugged and kissed his daughter before hugging Harry and whispering, "Take care of each other."

Together they approached the altar and Harry heard the guests settle back into their seats behind them. Sebastian Ripple, the same minister that he'd hired to bury Professor Snape, was presiding over their wedding today. "Witches and Wizards, we are gathered here today to witness the bonding of Harry and Ginevra for life. The couple has prepared their own statements. Harry, you may proceed."

Nervously clearing his throat and looking deep into Ginny's eyes, he said, "Ginevra, I feel like the luckiest wizard alive, that the girl I fell in love with, loves me back. I'm still not sure that I deserve you, but I will spend the rest of my life making sure that I make you as happy as you deserve to be. I love you, Ginny." He slid a simple wedding band onto her finger to join the diamond and emerald engagement ring.

"Harry," Ginny began shakily. Her eyes reconnected with his and her voice grew stronger, "I have been in love with since I was five years old. Back then, it was just a crush, but as I got to know you, first as a friend, and then as something more, I knew it was the real thing. There is no one else, that I could possibly imagine, with whom I'd rather spend the rest of my life. I love you, Harry." She slid the gold wedding band she had picked out for him onto his finger.

"Now comes my part," said the minister. "Do you, Harry James Potter, take Ginevra Molly Weasley, to be your magically bonded wife?"

"I do," Harry said with a grin at Ginny.

"And, do you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, take Harry James Potter, to be your magically bonded husband?"

"I do," Ginny said happily.

"Then I declare you bonded for life," he pronounced. Behind them, Harry could hear more than one person crying tears of joy. Just like at Bill and Fleur's wedding, the minister waved his wand high over their heads and a shower of silver stars fell upon them. They spiraled around them as Harry pulled Ginny toward him and kissed her. As their guests began to applaud, the silver balloons burst and bells, rose petals, and sprigs of mistletoe floated out of them, gently falling to the aisle below. Ginny took Harry's arm and together, they walked down the aisle to the back of the church. Once near the front door, Harry gathered Ginny into his arms and kissed her longingly. They were married! It wasn't long before Ron, Hermione, Fleur, George, Neville, and Luna had followed them down the aisle and were hugging and congratulating them.

"Congratulations, brother," Ron said affectionately as he pulled Harry into a hug. "Take care of my baby sister."

"You know I will," Harry replied.

"Congratulation Harry," Fleur said as she kissed him on both cheeks.

"Congratulations both of you," George said as he gathered both Harry and Ginny into his arms and hugged them tightly. "I'm so happy for you."

Hermione was openly crying and, when Harry hugged her, she hiccupped and said, "Congratulations, that was such a beautiful wedding."

Eventually, the rest of the immediate Weasley family found their way to them and the hugging and congratulating continued. Molly was still wiping tears and Arthur was beaming widely at his newest son. Bill and Charlie slapped Harry on the back and welcomed their newest brother into the family. When finally everyone had hugged and congratulated the happy couple, Harry asked, "Could we take a minute to go out to the cemetery?"

"Of course, dear," Molly said. "Take your time. The rest of us will go back to the Burrow and prepare for the reception to begin." Arthur and Molly hurried back into the church to address the guests and direct them back to the Burrow.

Harry and Ginny pulled on coats and, together, returned to the place where Harry had visited earlier. When they arrived, Harry didn't say anything at first, just pulled Ginny into his arms and kissed her. When they broke apart Harry smiled down at her and simply said, "We're married."

Ginny chuckled and said, "I know." She looked down at the headstones and asked, "Are you going to talk to them?"

"I actually talked to them earlier," Harry confessed. "I just wanted a moment alone with you before we head back. But I supposed I could say one thing," With a smile, he turned toward the headstones and said, "Mum and Dad, meet the new Mrs. Potter."

"I love the way that sounds," Ginny said happily. "Mrs. Ginny Potter."

"Me too," Harry whispered as he drew her in for another kiss.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After a while, they apparated back to the Burrow. They left their coats inside and prepared to enter the magically heated marquee out in the snowy garden where the reception was taking place. As they entered the marquee, a round of applause greeted the announcement of Mr. and Mrs. Potter. They smiled happily at one another as they entered the tent and prepared to be hugged and congratulated by the rest of their guests. Harry took in the tent around them between conversations with guests. There were hundreds of tiny fairies flitting around the top of the tent casting a romantic glow. There were sprigs of mistletoe hung throughout the tent and large sprays of the same Christmassy flowers from the ceremony were scattered around.

Finally, Harry and Ginny sat down after having spent enough time being congratulated by each and every one of their guests. There was a delicious meal, which Harry scarcely got to enjoy, every time he swallowed a mouthful, someone would start clinking their glasses and he and Ginny would stop to kiss amid whistling and cat calls; not that he minded. After the meal, some of the tables and chairs were cleared to make room for a shining dance floor. The musicians struck up the first number and Harry and Ginny shared their first dance as husband and wife. When the song ended, they were pulled away to dance with others, Ginny with her father and Harry with her mother. This trend continued through several more songs; new partners kept appearing to dance with the bride and groom. All the while, Harry and Ginny kept looking at each other; wishing only to have another dance together. As Harry finally managed to sweep Ginny back into his own embrace, the music halted and Molly announced that it was time to cut the cake.

Together, they cut the first slice of cake; but rather than smash it into each other's faces like so many chose to do, they carefully shared the piece before moving back to the dance floor together. They laughed as, from the dance floor, they watched George demonstrate on Percy how the cake cutting should have gone. Percy's ears turned bright red as he tried to remove the sticky frosting from his glasses.

The dancing went on for hours and Harry started to wonder when he and Ginny could safely leave their own wedding without offending anyone. It had been a wonderful day, but it had also been exhausting and frankly, they had other matters to attend to. When Ginny was finally displaying the same signs of weariness that Harry was, Molly took notice and announced that the bride and groom would shortly be leaving.

Before they left, they had to throw the bouquet, which a blushing Hermione caught. Also, a blushing Harry removed Ginny's garter from high on her thigh under her skirt, under the somewhat menacing glares of her older brothers. He threw it and laughed appreciatively when Ron caught it. If the old tradition was true, Ron and Hermione would be the next to marry.

Finally, after many thank-yous, congratulations, and good-byes were spoken, they were free to go. Harry scooped Ginny into his arms bridal style and whispered, "Ready to go home?" She nodded her assent and he apparated them away.

**Author's Note:** Ta-da! They are married. Thank you for reading and take time to review and let me know how I did. I tried to make the ceremony a good mix of how J.K.R. wrote the wedding in D.H. and how a traditional wedding would go. I hope it works. Wish me lots of luck in writing the next chapter – I'm nervous.

Many thanks to my awesome beta Terra Ferme for getting back to me so quickly with this chapter and, as always, catching all my silly mistakes.

Finally, let me say that I apologize for this chapter being a little slow in coming. I had a little writer's block about parts of it. I had to take some time to clear some other things out of my head before I could move forward. One of those things I cleared out is another story…well, the start of it anyway. It is a James and Lily story, which I have been obsessed with lately and had an idea for taking up space in my head. If you are interested, go check it out, it is called, "_The Game of Love_."

Thanks! Tinkerbell


	27. That Night

******WARNING******

_The content of this chapter is significantly more mature than any of my previous chapters. While it is the wedding night chapter and my story does maintain a Mature rating; be warned. The section that goes into greater detail is marked with a line of asterisks at the beginning and end so anyone who is not comfortable with the subject matter can easily skip over it. _

_I really struggled to write this chapter. There are two sides to consider…readers who really want me to live up to my M rating and readers who feel that I should maintain the innocent tone of my story and gloss over this part. I can see the validity of both view points. In the end, I knew that I was going to have to write this chapter in the way that would make me happiest and feel truest to my story. While my story has had sort of an innocent vibe about it since the beginning, it has also been very detailed. As this chapter is their wedding night, which, admittedly, I can't just skim over, I wrote about their first time in detail. However, I tried to write it in a way that isn't trashy or overly graphic. I feel like I have succeeded. Hopefully my readers will agree._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry apparated them to the steps outside Number 12 Grimmauld Place. With his wand, he unlocked the front door and carried Ginny inside. He closed the door behind them and said, "Welcome home." Per Harry's instructions to Kreacher, there was a fire burning in the sitting room fireplace and all the lights were turned on.

Ginny, still in Harry's arms, looked around the house in astonishment. "You did all this?"

"I had some help," Harry admitted. "This was my surprise for you. I knew you were concerned about us not having a place of our own."

"I forgot that you own this place," Ginny said.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked nervously. "This is our home and you can change anything you want. It's as much your's, now, as mine. I just want you to be happy here."

"I love it," Ginny said touched. "It's beautiful. It doesn't even seem like the same house."

"Thank Merlin for that," Harry said under his breath.

"If you put me down, I could look around a bit," Ginny suggested with a smile.

"Oh, right," Harry said sheepishly, as he lowered her back to the ground. "I guess part of me was rather hoping to carry you right upstairs to our room."

Their eyes connected and, instead of the fierce blazing look he expected to see in her eyes, there was something slightly reserved. "I could use a little time to get my bearings," Ginny said softly. "I've suddenly come over a bit nervous."

"Gin," Harry whispered, as he gathered her into his arms, "I'm not trying to rush you. Take all the time you need."

"Thank you," she whispered back as she hugged him. When she pulled back, she seemed more herself again and asked, "Care to give me the grand tour?"

Harry showed her around the sitting room, kitchen, dining room, and various other rooms on the first floor. As they climbed the stairs, Harry said, "Sirius' bedroom was on the third floor; it was the only room in the house that I couldn't bear to change. Our bedroom is on the second floor; it has an attached bathroom."

"Show me," Ginny said, as she followed him up the stairs.

Harry led her to the end of the second floor hall to an impressive set of mahogany double doors. He opened one of the doors and flicked on the overhead light. There was a fire burning in the fireplace here as well. There were also half a dozen candles lit along the mantle piece and rose petals scattered across the floor and over the bed.

"Did you do this?" Ginny asked with a grin, gesturing to the candles.

"Ah…no. I'm guessing that whoever your Mom sent over here with our things did this," Harry said gesturing to their bags sitting on the floor next to the closet. "We can blow them out if it'd make you more comfortable."

Ginny didn't answer; instead she turned to take in the room. She ran her finger along the sleek mahogany furniture and stroked the luxurious golden hued comforter on the enormous bed. The walls and curtains were a slightly darker shade of the gold. There were pictures of the two of them lined up along the dresser and, near the door that led into the bathroom, there was a vanity table similar to the one she had at home. She smiled as she turned back to Harry and said, "This is perfect."

"I'm glad you like it," Harry said. "Hermione helped me pick colors and stuff."

"I'll be sure to thank her," Ginny said. She pointed her wand at the door, closing it, and turned to Harry, saying, "Care to help me get this tiara off? Its killing me."

"Sure," Harry said as he approached her.

"How about on the bed? It'd be nice to sit," Ginny suggested.

Harry stopped to take off his shoes and his robes, beneath which he was wearing black pants and a white button down shirt. Ginny also slid off her shoes before climbing onto the bed. With Ginny seated, Harry knelt behind her and began pulling out the bobby pins that would release the heavy tiara from Ginny's head. She held out a hand and he dropped the bobby pins into it. When he was finished, he took the tiara, veil, and collection of bobby pins from Ginny, and set them on the dresser. He climbed back onto the bed and lay down. He badly wanted to touch her, but was waiting for her to indicate that she was ready. He didn't want to rush her. She turned on the bed so she was facing him. She moved closer and ran a hand over his cheek. She leaned down to kiss him, but when he moved to deepen it, she pulled away and said, "I'll be right back." He watched as she climbed off the bed, picked up her bag from by the closet and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

In the bathroom, Ginny studied herself in the mirror. She'd been the aggressor ever since they'd gotten back together and now, on their wedding night, when there was no longer anything holding them back, she was nervous. She unzipped her dress and carefully stepped out of it before laying it over the laundry hamper in the corner of the bathroom. In her bra and panties, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. Feeling refreshed and more like herself, she pulled the long ivory satin nightgown and robe out of her bag that she'd decided upon for tonight. She removed her bra and panties before pulling the nightgown over her head. Before leaving the bathroom, she took off the jewelry she was wearing, besides her wedding rings, and left them on the counter. She scooped up the dress and the robe and opened the door. Harry did not move when she returned, but his eyes followed her as she rummaged in the closet for a hanger. After hanging up her dress and closing the closet door, she flipped off the lights and, in the glow cast from the candles and the fire, walked around to Harry's side of the bed. She bent to kiss him and then said, "Now, I'm ready."

Harry sat up and studied her in the candlelight. "You are so beautiful," he breathed.

She grasped his hand and pulled him up off the bed. She fit her body against his and tilted her face up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. She felt the familiar desire and longing building in her as his hands slid down her back and skimmed over her hips, coming to rest on her bottom. His hand passed over this area several times in quick succession, before Harry pulled back and asked huskily, "No knickers?" Ginny chuckled and shook her head no. "The first time I'm allowed to take them off you and you already went ahead and removed them?"

"Do you want me to go put them back on?" Ginny offered coyly.

Harry practically growled at her, "No. What else aren't you wearing?'

"It would be faster to list the things I am wearing," Ginny said teasingly, and with her fingers she ticked off. "This nightgown, my wedding rings, and a smile."

Harry sighed happily as his mouth returned to hers and he slid a hand up from her bottom to cup a naked breast through the smooth satin. A jolt of desire coursed through her at this action and she moved her hands to the buttons of his shirt. She made quick work of the shirt; casting it to the floor when she'd succeeded in removing it from his body. "Anxious now, are we?" Harry asked with a smirk, as he took matters into his own hands and pulled the remaining undershirt over his head and casting it also to the floor. Their lips reconnected as they drew back together and Ginny's hands explored Harry's chest. His mouth strayed from hers to move down her neck and across her collar bone to her cleavage. With a finger, he pulled on the neckline of the nightgown and exposed her left breast. As his mouth moved ever closer, he cupped her in his hand and touched her experimentally. Finally, his mouth kissed its way across the smooth skin and, when he reached her nipple, he sucked it into his mouth, eliciting a moan of pleasure from Ginny like he'd never heard before.

She could feel his grin against her breast when she moaned. In retaliation, despite the haze his attentions were causing in her brain, she moved her hands to the button of his pants and opened it. She unzipped them as well and pushed them down his hips. Impressively, without removing his mouth from her breast, he shimmied the pants the rest of the way down and stepped out of them. With his pants out of the way, she tugged on the waistband of his boxers with one hand while the other slipped inside. As her hand wrapped around him, she extracted the moan she was seeking. For the next several minutes, they continued their ministrations, enjoying the reactions they were earning from one another. As Harry shifted to move his attention to her other breast, his feet tangled in his discarded pants and he stumbled a bit.

Ginny giggled and asked, "Perhaps we should move this to the bed? It might be safer."

"Only if you lose the nightgown," Harry said.

"I'll lose the nightgown if you lose the boxers," Ginny bargained.

"Deal," Harry said quickly as he removed first his socks and then his boxers.

For the first time, Harry stood naked before her and Ginny's brain felt fuzzy. Her eyes feasted on the beauty that was Harry's Auror toned body. He was long and lean and muscular in all the right places. "You're beautiful," Ginny breathed.

Harry blushed under her scrutiny, but said, "Hey, that's my line. You gonna lose the nightgown or what?"

"Oh," Ginny said. "You distracted me." She drew closer to him and requested, "Help me?" Harry grasped the hem and swiftly pulled it over her head when she raised her arms. He let the nightgown slip out of his hands and flutter to the floor as he took her in. He admired the soft curves that graced her tight toned body, obviously a product of Quidditch training.

"Merlin, Ginny. If I'm beautiful, then you're magnificently gorgeous," Harry said. He reached out a hand to her and pulled her toward the bed. He pulled back the covers and with his wand cast a warming charm on the sheets. "Get in," he instructed, as he pulled open the top drawer of the nightstand on his side of the bed and pulled out a vial of clear liquid. Carefully, he opened it and quickly gulped down the contents. He made a disgusted face before dropping the vial onto the nightstand and climbing into the bed after Ginny. He pulled the covers up around them as she snuggled into his chest.

The feeling of having his skin pressed intimately against her own was electrifying and excited her in ways like she'd never experienced before. There was something more though, being with Harry like this felt like home; nothing had ever felt more right. He kissed her as fiercely as she'd ever known as her hands moved back to the erect member between them. He alternately sighed and groaned into her mouth as her hands explored. His hands had moved back to her chest, but seemed to be frozen as he struggled to focus on anything outside of what her hands were doing.

Finally reaching a point where her touches were going to soon push him over the edge, he trapped her hands and moved them up to his chest. "Your turn," he said with some effort as he moved his hand down her taut belly. Her breathing hitched as his fingertips made contact and carefully delved further. At first, the sensation was so amazingly intense and foreign that it made her squirm in panic. When she finally relaxed against his hand, the things he was doing felt indescribably amazing. It wasn't long until her breathing was ragged and she panted, "Harry, now, I'm ready, please."

That was all the invitation Harry needed. Swiftly, he shifted their bodies so she lie flat on her back and he was positioned above her, bracing his weight on his knees and forearms. Gently, he stroked her face looking deep into her eyes, looking for confirmation that she meant what she'd said. She nodded and he bent to kiss her softly on the lips. She let her knees fall open and he moved to position himself between them. With her hands, she guided him to her. He pushed a little way inside, reveling in the sensation before pausing to check on Ginny. Her eyes were closed and she was biting down on her lower lip. She did not appear to be in pain so he pushed further. Her eyes flew open and locked with his. She nodded slightly but he could see the tears welling in the corners of her eyes. He hated to hurt her and wasn't sure how to proceed. "Harry," she said shakily. "Even if it hurts for a minute, I'm ready." She leaned up to kiss him and added, "I trust you." Steeling his nerve, he gently pushed the rest of the way inside with a bit of resistance. He grew still again as Ginny adjusted. When she nodded, he started to move. At first, it was hard to enjoy the rapturous feelings his body was experiencing, as he watched tears trickle from Ginny's eyes. But after a few minutes she uttered, "Oh," and he watched as her face shifted from pain to something like awe. They stared into each other's eyes as his body convulsed and he finished. He started to pull out and roll off of her but she wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him closer and said, "No, stay." She had never felt so close to him.

"I love you," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers.

"I love you too," she whispered back when he'd finally disengaged and rolled onto his side next to her.

He pulled her closer into his embrace and within mere minutes, exhausted from both the day and their exertions, they were asleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Several hours later, Harry woke to Ginny's hands running suggestively along his thighs. He was unsure if the action was instinctive or deliberate. For the moment, he feigned sleep to see what she'd do next. Her left hand remained on his thigh but her right hand trailed over his hip and came to rest on his bottom. After a light caress, her hand made the return journey and, instead of stopping back at his thigh, shifted up to take him in her hand. He felt himself harden instantly in her hand and knew that he could no longer pretend to be asleep.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he opened his eyes to look down at her.

"Trying to wake you up," Ginny confessed with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Why?" Harry asked laughing. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I slept," Ginny explained. "I was hoping we could do it again."

With a wide smile, he replied, "Of course we can do it again. Are you sure you're ready?"

"Hermione told me the second time is better," Ginny said simply.

"You didn't enjoy the first time?" Harry asked, sounding slightly wounded.

"Near the end I did, but the first time for girls is painful," Ginny explained. "Which is why the second time is better. Do you need to drink more of the potion?" she asked glancing toward the night stand.

"No. One dose will last for twenty-four hours," Harry said as he bent his head closer to hers and brushed his lips across hers.

This time, less inhibited Ginny took the aggressive role she normally favored. She kissed Harry hard on the mouth before pushing him back and covering his body with her own. As they continued to kiss, she grew more aroused as she could feel him throbbing against her thigh. Finally, she planted a knee on either side of him and raised herself up a bit so she could slide herself onto him.

Harry watched, fascinated, as she took the lead and set the tempo. He lay absolutely still for the moment, just enjoying the sensation and letting her do what felt right. Her eyes were squeezed shut in concentration as she ground against him and arched her body to achieve just the right angle. She gasped and moaned a bit as she moved and, when it seemed that she'd reached a plateau, he rocked his hips gently against her. This proved to be the right move; a shudder rippled through her body and she frantically whispered, "Do that again." He complied, shifting his legs a bit so he could drive upward more easily. A few thrusts later and he felt her contracting around him, causing them to finish together. Ginny collapsed on top of him and, after raining kisses on his face, said, "Merlin, Harry. _That_ was bloody amazing."

Harry chuckled appreciatively against her neck as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad," he said. "That was how I felt after the first time." He held her as her breathing became regular again and eventually became the slow even breathing of someone fast asleep. He rolled her off of him and studied her peaceful face as she slept beside him. "_My wife_," he thought happily, as he too shut his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

When they woke again, it was to bright sunlight spilling in around the curtains edges at the windows. Ginny stretched luxuriantly in the bed and sighed happily. Harry yawned loudly beside her and grinned at her.

"Good morning," Ginny said.

"Great morning," Harry retorted as his grin widened. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Ginny said. "Do we have anything to eat?"

"Of course," Harry said. "The kitchen is stocked and Kreacher has probably made us something delicious. I'll run down and bring breakfast up on a tray; we can eat in bed."

Harry kissed her and hopped out of bed. As he bent to retrieve his boxers and undershirt from the floor, Ginny appreciated the view of his naked backside and grinned. When he'd left the room, shutting the door behind him, she slipped out of bed. Immediately, she could feel the soreness that was a product of last night's activities. She stiffly bent to retrieve her nightgown and robe from the floor before heading into the bathroom. There, she redressed before combing her hair and remembering the potion her mother had given her to pack in her bag. "_It will help with the soreness in the morning_," she'd said. Ginny gulped down the foul tasting liquid quickly and, almost immediately, felt the soreness ease.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Harry was just returning with a tray of breakfast food. She scrambled back into the bed so she could take the tray from Harry and he could get back in too. He settled beside her and revealed pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and pumpkin juice.

"Mmmmmmm," Ginny said as she dug into her breakfast.

"So, how early do we have to go back to your parent's today?" Harry asked.

"I only promised that we'd make it there in time for dinner this evening," Ginny said.

"Good," Harry said.

"Why? What did you have in mind?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing in particular," Harry said with raised eyebrows. "Just more time to be alone before going home to your family."

"You're nervous about all the teasing too?" Ginny asked.

"If I know your brothers like I think I do, its going to be unbearable," Harry said.

"They're just jealous," Ginny said.

Harry chuckled and said, "I dare you to suggest that to them."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Many hours later, most of which were spent in their bed, they apparated into the garden at The Burrow. Dinner was due to start any minute; they had waited as long as possible to join everyone. Harry trudged through the snow behind Ginny carrying their bags. She turned to kiss him quickly, before opening the door and said, "It'll be fine. Just grin and bear it."

Ginny opened the door and Molly called, "Ah, here's the newly weds."

"About time," Charlie's voice called. "We were starting to think that maybe you were too busy shagging to come to Christmas Eve dinner."

"Charlie," Molly scolded.

"Yeah, Charlie, don't be gross," George said. "You've got to be more subtle with that sort of humor. Like this; Harry, we made a sign for you to hang on Ginny's bedroom door tonight. It says, _Do Not Disturb!" _George paused for long enough that Harry thought he was finished. Then he continued, "_The shagging taking place behind this door_."

"That was as bad as Charlie's," Ron said, as he burst into the kitchen from the sitting room. "Try this; Harry, you two manage break that new bed yet?"

Harry and Ginny just grinned at one another as her brothers tried to outdo one another's bad jokes at their expense. It was good to be home amongst their family, even if this was what they'd have to put up with for a while.

**Author's Note:** Thank you for reading and extra thanks to those who were brave enough not to skip over the more graphic parts. I hope you enjoyed it and I also hope you'll send me a review to let me know how I did. I am happy with how it turned out. It was both fun and challenging to write.

HUGE thanks to my beta Terra Ferme for taking on the daunting task of editing this tricky chapter. You are awesome! Thank you.

I'm starting to think about where this story should stop – that isn't to say that I won't do a sequel continuing on with their life during that 19-year gap. End of the school year, first year of marriage…thoughts?

Thanks!

Tinkerbell


	28. Mr & Mrs Potter's First Christmas

Harry would have liked to say that Christmas Eve with the Weasleys was lovely, but, as every line of conversation inevitably lead back to ribbing at his and Ginny's expense, it became wearing rather quickly. As good-natured as the couple were being about the teasing, her brothers were not tiring of receiving little response, beyond the amused grins the couple kept exchanging.

During dinner, Harry had tried to concentrate on his meal, ignoring the teasing banter going on around the table. But, rather than helping to quell the jokes, it just opened a whole new avenue. "Harry," Charlie began, when he noticed Harry trying to focus on his food, "are you refueling from last night or fueling up for tonight?"

Without missing a beat, Ginny cut in and suggestively said, "Both." Under the table, she found his hand and squeezed as if to say, "_Hang in there_."

When Molly brought out the dessert, George helped her pass around the plates and purposely skipped over Harry and Ginny. When they inquired as to why, he said, "My mistake, I thought the two of you were content to have each other for dessert later."

Amid the snickers of her brothers, Ginny said, "While that might be true, I think we'd both like some pie first."

After dessert, they all retired to the sitting room to listen to a Christmas program on the wireless at Molly's insistence. Percy, trying to prove he was not as immature as his brothers, offered Harry and Ginny the loveseat. As they thanked him and settled into it together, Ron butted in saying, "Just because it's called a loveseat, doesn't mean you should take it as an invitation. Keep your hands to yourselves."

Harry smirked at Ron as he wrapped an arm around Ginny and pulled her closer against his side. Ginny complied, snuggling up to him and leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. The moment before she pulled away, he turned and caught her lips with his own. He felt her melt into the kiss a little, but didn't want to deepen it any further with their whole family watching. Clearly on the same page, Ginny pulled away and moved her mouth to his ear and whispered, "One more hour then we can go to bed and it'll all be over. Mum won't let them carry on being disgusting on Christmas."

"I'm going to start working on jokes now for when the rest of them get married," Harry whispered back.

"Very mature," Ginny replied with an eye roll.

"Don't even try to tell me that you weren't thinking the same thing," Harry said.

Ginny grinned at him as she settled back in her seat.

When the Christmas program was over, Arthur, Molly, Fleur, and Percy headed off to bed. Bill, Charlie, and George settled at the kitchen table for seconds on pie. Ron invited Harry to play a game of wizard's chess and Hermione asked Ginny if she could borrow some moisturizer. Harry and Ginny exchanged a quick glance. Each had been looking forward to retiring to her bedroom together alone, but they both understood that their friends were looking to spend some time with them. In their quick glance, they agreed that they could wait a bit longer.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry and Ron settled on opposite sides of the chess board in the sitting room and set up their pieces.

"So…," Ron drawled awkwardly.

"So, what?" Harry replied. "You really wanted to hear all about last night? I mean, she is your sister…"

"No," Ron mumbled, clearly relieved, "I don't. But I'm your best mate; I thought I was supposed to ask or something."

Harry chuckled, and said, "If I really needed to talk about it, I would go find Bill."

"Why Bill?" Ron asked, sounding slightly put out.

"Bill offered advice about the wedding night on your father's request; he said I could talk to him anytime," Harry said. "Plus, it's less weird. He's not as close to Ginny as you are and he's not my best mate."

"Oh okay," Ron said pacified. "So, Ginny liked the house?"

"I think so," Harry said. "I mean, she seemed to, but we didn't spend a lot of time looking around, just a quick tour before…"

"Before you turned in for the night," Ron said with a smirk.

"Right," Harry said with a laugh, "I guess that's one way of putting it."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hermione followed Ginny into her bedroom and watched as she began picking up various bottles from the small vanity table and muttering, "Moisturizer….hmmmm."

"I don't really need moisturizer," Hermione said, "That was my subtle way of getting you alone so I could ask you about last night."

"Oh," Ginny said, as pink blush crept up her neck. "Okay."

"How was it?" Hermione asked delicately.

"Fine," Ginny said secretively.

"Fine?" Hermione asked. "Is that all you have to say?"

"You aren't going to repeat any of this back to Ron, are you?" Ginny asked.

"Of course not," Hermione said. "I don't tell him everything, you know."

"Okay," Ginny said. "Last night was perfect. The house is beautiful, thank you for helping Harry with it. I can't believe that, when school is over, we get to live there all the time."

"You're welcome," Hermione said. "I'm glad you liked it. Harry really wanted you to feel at home there."

"I did," Ginny said. "Really. When we got there, he gave me a little tour while I got over my nerves." Hermione raised an eyebrow questioningly at this and Ginny continued, explaining, "I think Harry would have carried me straight up to the bedroom but I needed a few minutes. Even though all along I've been the more aggressive one physically, last night, I just got nervous as soon as we got to the house. He was very sweet about it though."

"I can understand that. You two were waiting for your wedding night instead of letting it happen in the heat of the moment. It became an experience you both were looking forward to and had invested a lot of significance in," Hermione explained.

"But he wasn't nervous at all," Ginny pointed out.

"I bet he was a little nervous," Hermione said. "He's always been good about hiding that sort of thing. How'd you get over the nerves?"

"When we went up to the bedroom, I took a little time in the bathroom to change out of my dress, wash my face, and brush my teeth on my own. When I came out, I was ready," Ginny explained.

"And how was it?" Hermione asked curiously.

"You were right, the first time hurts," Ginny said. "But toward the end, it was better. And the second time was amazing."

"And every time since then?" Hermione asked with a smirk.

"Excellent," Ginny said with a happy smile.

"Do you mind all the teasing?" Hermione asked.

"Its getting old, but no, not so much," Ginny said. "Its kind of a wonderful thing to be teased about, something that makes us so happy, I mean."

"I know you've only been married for a day, but how is it?" Hermione asked.

"Why?" Ginny asked, "thinking you might not want to wait so long before marrying Ron?"

"Maybe, the two of you do look very happy," Hermione said.

"We are," Ginny said blissfully.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After nearly another hour of discussing marriage, sex, and their respective relationships, the girls headed back down to the sitting room. Ginny settled herself on Harry's lap and made his next move for him. Harry, happy to have his wife back near him, wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair. He kissed her neck and moved his mouth up to her ear and asked hopefully, "Bedtime?"

"Soon," Ginny whispered back. "Finish your game."

"I'm going to lose anyway," Harry said, adding suggestively, "I'd rather go play a game I know I'm going to win."

"Just finish your game or we'll never hear the end of it," Ginny said. "If you make poor moves, it can be over in a matter of minutes."

"Oy, Harry," Ron said loudly, "your turn." Ginny leaned back to whisper in Harry's ear and Ron said, "Hey, no helping him." Harry moved a piece and Ron's expression changed to annoyance and, shaking his head, he said, "I see how it is; throwing the game so you can head off to bed faster. You two disgust me. If that's how it's going to be, you can just go."

Harry and Ginny leapt up from the table and raced toward the stairs, "Thanks Ron, good-night everyone," Harry called behind them.

While slightly annoyed, Ron couldn't help but be happy for his best friend and his sister.

"They really are sweet, aren't they?" Hermione asked, as she wrapped her arms around Ron.

"They are," George said, as he flopped onto the loveseat, "So, when can we expect the two of you to be become disgustingly happy newlyweds as well?"

Hermione blushed furiously and Ron swatted George with a throw pillow. George watched as Hermione and Ron went into the kitchen and realized that neither of them offered any sort of response. Maybe they were starting to make plans as well. He'd have to ask some questions later when he and Ron were both in bed. Now that Harry was sleeping in Ginny's room with her, Hermione was sleeping in Ron's room in the attic and Ron was sleeping in George's room with him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry was lying in Ginny's bed, which Molly had magically expanded a bit, waiting for her to return from brushing her teeth. As he lay there, he studied the golden band on his left hand, something he hadn't taken the time to take much notice of yet. It was just a plain gold band but Harry loved the way it looked on his hand and what it stood for. At that moment, Ginny reentered the bedroom and, noticing his focus, said, "Look inside." Harry slid the ring off and peered at the inside. Engraved there was _'Amor Vincit Omnia, 12-23-98.' _Harry racked his brain trying to figure out if he should know what the Latin phrase meant.

"It means, love conquers all," Ginny said softly. " I thought it was appropriate considering all we've gone though and we still ended up together." Ginny flicked off the lights and climbed into the bed with Harry.

"It's perfect," Harry whispered, as he pulled her close, settling the blankets around them. "I just wish that I'd thought to do that to yours."

"It's not too late," Ginny said, "what would you write?" Harry knew instantly what he would write but decided not to tell her, he would get it engraved for her someday. He was quiet long enough that Ginny launched into another topic of conversation, "Are you going to be able to forgive my brothers?"

Harry chuckled, and said, "Yes, of course. As much as it was embarrassing, it also made me feel like a true member of the family. I know they always considered me as such, but now that its official, it felt kind of good to know that they weren't holding back at all. But, you really think your Mum will put a stop to it tomorrow?"

"I think so, she turned a blind ear a bit today because, I think, she knew there was no getting around it, but tomorrow is Christmas, and she won't want to listen to such crudeness," Ginny said.

"Good," Harry said. He pulled her even closer against his chest and breathed in her scent. At that moment, her freezing cold feet connect with his bare legs and he gave a shout of surprise, "Why are your feet so cold?"

"Sorry," Ginny said as she pulled her feet away.

Harry groped under the covers for her feet and pulled them back onto his legs and said, "I don't mind warming them up for you, the cold just shocked me." Ginny sighed happily as his warm hands began massaging her feet, adding to the warmth his bare legs were providing. When her feet were roughly the same temperature as his hands, he slid his hands up her legs, stopping to rest on her thighs and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like me to warm up?" Her eyes met with his and no words were necessary.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next morning arrived too early for the newly wedded couple. They were reluctant to be removed from their warm bed where they lay twined together. But, after no less than three family members had banged on the door urging them to come down, because they couldn't open presents until they did, they halfheartedly gathered bathroom necessities and clothing and hurried into the bathroom together. Bill, who noticed them thundering up the stairs together, called down to the family members waiting in the kitchen, "It could be a while yet, they just went into the bathroom together." He chuckled at the groans that he heard emanating from below, but smirked, remembering what it was like to be part of a newly married couple. It was just Harry and Ginny's bad luck that they had to spend time with the family so quickly after their wedding. As much as he was sure they wouldn't have wanted to miss Christmas, he understood and remembered the urge to just be together alone after the wedding.

Forty-five minutes later, the couple finally appeared in the kitchen and quickly ate their now cold breakfast under the agitated glares of Charlie, George, and Ron. The three were annoyed that they had been kept waiting all morning to open their gifts and, to top it all off, Molly had practically threatened death if the crude line of jokes about Harry and Ginny's bedroom activities continued today. They would be less annoyed about waiting to open gifts if, in the mean time, they could harass the couple with jokes about the shower they had just shared. When they'd finished, they were unceremoniously dragged into the sitting room for presents.

"Everyone has to open the gifts from me and Harry first," Ginny said excitedly as she got into the spirit of gift giving.

Harry helped Ginny pass out each of the packages they had carefully wrapped together several nights earlier. For each family member, Ginny had knit a pair of socks and Harry had bought something he knew they liked. When everyone had a package, Ginny handed Harry one too, before saying, "Ready, set, go!" Everyone tore into their packages and exclaimed over the beautiful socks that Ginny had knit, as well as the gifts Harry had added. Harry opened his package and pulled out handsome cable knit socks in the yarn they'd bought in the summer to match his eyes. He pulled off the worn socks he was wearing and pulled on the new ones saying, "Ginny, these are amazing. Thank you."

"That's only part of your gift," Ginny said with a smile. But, rather than exchange gifts with each other now, they sat back and watched their family opening gifts around them. Harry felt so lucky to be part of such an incredible family. He looked around the room and took them all in. Molly and Arthur had been like substitute parents for him since he was twelve. Bill and Fleur had been like older siblings to him for a long time, offering him advice and support. Charlie, George, and Ron were the brothers that he'd enjoyed joking and pranking with for years. Harry had never had a very close relationship with Percy, but since the war had ended, and Percy had come back home to his family, great strides had been made. Hermione, while not an official part of the Weasley family yet, had been like a sister to him since they were eleven. Then there was Ginny, his wife and official connection to this family. He always felt blessed to be in their presence, but it was feeling especially precious this year, a mere two days after their wedding and the first Christmas since the end of the war.

Eventually, Harry and Ginny joined back in the gift opening and unwrapped the gifts they had received from the rest of the family, still saving the gifts from each other until later. Finally, when everyone else had finished opening their gifts and were wandering off to find snacks or were busy tinkering with their new gifts, Ginny handed Harry a box and said, "Happy Christmas, Harry." He grinned and accepted the box from her. Unwrapping it, he first pulled out an ornate silver star-shaped Christmas ornament that had engraving on one side. It read, "_Our First Christmas, 1998_."

"I've never had any Christmas ornaments of my own," Harry said quietly, as he thought of how when he'd come home with Ron for the first time to spend Christmas, he'd been impressed that each member of the family had a box of ornaments to hang on their tree that were their very own.

"I didn't think you had," Ginny said. "This is the first of many then."

"Thank you," Harry said, as he leaned to kiss her.

"Open the rest," She said excitedly.

Charmed by her enthusiasm, Harry dug back into the box and pulled out a velvet bag. From the bag, he pulled a wristwatch and studied it, as Ginny spoke. "I thought you could use a new one. You cracked the face of the one my parents gave you for your 17th and, after you wore it into the lake training with Noah, it never worked quite right again."

"Aren't you afraid I will destroy this one as well?" Harry asked.

"No," Ginny said. "This one was made with stronger magic. Its impervious to damage and water. If you'll notice, it also had two sets of hands. The larger set of hands, with the ruby flecks, your birthstone, will automatically adjust to the current time wherever you go. The smaller set of hands, with the peridot flecks, my birthstone, will always tell you what time it is at home, where I'll be, waiting for you to return to me."

Harry simply pulled her into his arms and hugged her. In a slightly choked voice, he whispered, "It's perfect, thank you." The gift felt like further blessing from her in regard to his job. In her own way, he felt that she was telling him that she knew that, while his job took him away sometimes, he would always return to her. His heart had swelled in the notion that, from now on, home for them would always be the same place. Before he clasped it around his wrist, he flipped it over and noticed the engraving on the back. It read, "_Harry, Return to Me. I Love You, Ginny._"

Harry thanked Ginny again, before handing her a tiny box and saying, "Happy Christmas, Ginny. This is only part of your gift." Ginny opened the box and pulled out a pendant on a thin gold chain. The pendant had both her and Harry's birthstones nestled in a swirling gold settling. As Ginny admired it, Harry said, "I know I have given you a lot of jewelry already, but when I saw our birthstones together, I knew I had to give you this. Obviously we thought along the same lines."

"I love it, Harry, thank you," Ginny said, as she turned around and let Harry carefully clasp it around her neck.

"I have to go get the other part," Harry said. "I'll be right back." When he returned, he was carrying a much larger box. Carefully, he set it on the floor in front of Ginny. She noticed instantly that it was not wrapped like the other gifts, but instead, had a large bow on the top that seemed to be hiding air holes. Ginny grinned hugely at Harry before she opened the box and reached in to scoop out a bright, orange striped kitten.

"Harry," Ginny said happily, "I've always wanted a pet of my own."

"Didn't you have a Pigmy Puff during your fifth year?" Ron asked, from across the room. "That didn't count as a pet?"

"Well, yes, but he disappeared almost as soon as we returned to school; I suspect that Crookshanks ate him for dinner," Ginny said.

Harry watched as Ginny happily stroked and cuddled the tiny kitten. In response, the kitten purred loudly. "How did you know?" Ginny asked.

"Remember that night in the summer that we went out on a muggle date and talked almost all night in the garden?" Harry asked. When Ginny nodded, he continued, "You talked about all the different animals that had been part of the family and whom they belonged to, but you never named any that had belonged to you. You love animals so much that I thought that maybe you should have one of your own. I picked this one because he reminded me of you, all orangy-golden."

"What are you going to name him?" Hermione asked, as she came closer to pet the kitten.

"I don't know yet," Ginny said. "I have to get to know him a bit first."

Even Crookshanks wanted to see the new addition. He jumped onto the love seat beside Ginny and settled himself so he was face to face with the kitten. Before long, each was purring in contentment. "Thank you," Ginny said to Harry. "He is perfect."

"You're welcome," Harry said, pleased that he'd done so well.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Late that evening, Harry and Ginny sat curled on the loveseat in the sitting room before the glowing fire. The orange kitten, which was still unnamed, lay comfortably in Ginny's lap. They had been discussing whether they should head back to Grimmauld Place or just sleep here again tonight. Tomorrow, they would head off on their honeymoon. Harry had arranged a portkey to their destination. They needed to be ready to leave from Grimmauld Place by noon. More and more, they seemed to be leaning toward staying and heading back early in the morning to finish their packing. It had been a day full of fun and family. There had been wonderful meals, lots of games, a massive snowball fight in the yard, and an escape up to Ginny's bedroom for an afternoon nap, which fooled no one. He couldn't remember a Christmas that had been better in his whole life. As he admired Ginny beside him, he looked forward to a lifetime of Christmases that would be just as happy.

**Author's Note:** Hello All. Thank you for reading! I'm sorry for the delay…that last chapter kind of took it out of me and I focused on my other HP story for a bit. But this chapter was fun to write and I hope it was enjoyable to read as well. Send me a review and let me know how I did, if you are so inclined.

Lots of thanks to my awesome beta, Terra Ferme for editing this chapter and also for taking time to talk through the gift ideas with me for this chapter. This chapter is so much better for your ideas and support. You totally rock.

I am terrible at naming things…if you have a brilliant name idea for Ginny's new orange kitten let me know!!!

I will put a link on my profile to the necklace Harry gave to Ginny. It is on a website in which you can design your own birthstone jewelry…so the one it will bring you to is blank…just imagine it with a ruby and a peridot…or try designing it that way. I thought it was fun.

I do not have a link for Harry's watch since I made it up in my head.

I think several of you misunderstood the author's note at the end of the last chapter. This story is not done…I will definitely write this story until the end of their school year, possibly a bit further. I just wondered what point people wanted to see this story make it to. And keep in mind that a sequel is more than likely going to happen…so no worries.

Thanks again!!

Tinkerbell


	29. Day at the Beach

**WARNING**

_For my readers who would rather not read the more racy parts of my story, please be sure to skip the very last paragraph before the Author's Note. I will also place a line there to remind you. _

_To those who do enjoy the more naughty parts of my story, let me apologize in advance. This chapter is not as racy as one would expect given that it is one of the honeymoon chapters. That's right, __**one**__ of the honeymoon chapters. I expect that the next chapter will have slightly more naughtiness than this one does. This chapter rather took me by surprise ~ I'm not sure why because a lot of what I wrote about are things that I felt/thought on my own honeymoon. Anyway, I digress…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next morning as they prepared to head back to Grimmauld Place to finish packing for their honeymoon, Harry looked on in amusement as Ginny tried to address her kitten. As early in the morning as it was, the kitten could scarcely be bothered to open its eyes and pay attention to Ginny. She was persistent nonetheless.

"Ember, you be a good kitten while I'm gone and try not to forget me. Hermione will take good care of you, but try not to fall too deeply in love with her because, while she is lovely, you are supposed to be my cat, not hers. Oh, and be careful of Crookshanks, he's not always very considerate to Weasley pets."

Unable to resist, Harry asked with an amused smirk, "Isn't Ember a Potter pet?"

Ginny blushed, as she realized just how closely Harry was listening to her conversation with Ember, and said, "Um, yes…you think I'm being ridiculous don't you?"

"No, of course not," Harry said honestly. "I _am_ finding it entertaining, but I used to talk to Hedwig a lot too so I do understand. Mostly, I'm happy that you liked your gift and you'll have someone at home to keep you company when I'm away on Auror missions."

"Do you talk to August?" Ginny asked interestedly.

"Not so much, but now I have you to talk to," Harry said. "I talked to Hedwig most during the summers at the Dursleys' when I was alone and miserable. She was my one connection to the magical world during the summers."

"You still miss her," Ginny said observantly.

"Of course," Harry said, but quickly added, "August is great and I'm sure that, in time, I will have my own special bond with him, but it will be different than what I had with Hedwig. She was a constant part of my childhood from when I was eleven and, when she died, I think the last truly innocent part of me died along with her."

"I'm sorry, Harry," Ginny said softly, as she continued stroking Ember's fur.

"It's okay," Harry said awkwardly, he hadn't been prepared for this to turn into such a serious conversation. "Ready?" he asked, eager to get on their way.

"Yes," Ginny said. She picked up the tiny orange kitten and nuzzled him against her cheek. She kissed his tiny head and whispered, "Good-bye." The kitten squirmed and yowled in protest, but curled back into a sleeping ball an instant later when Ginny returned him to the pillow on her bed.

Down in the kitchen, they hugged Mrs. Weasley good-bye and thanked her for the lovely Christmas gathering. Harry explained that, while they preferred not to be disturbed while they were away on their honeymoon, if anyone needed to urgently reach them, Kingsley knew where they were going. Finally they asked that she tell everyone else good-bye for them.

As they walked out into the yard to apparate, Ginny asked, "Kingsley knows where we are going and I still don't?"

Harry smiled at her impatience and explained, "When I approached Kingsley about a portkey application for our honeymoon, I hadn't even decided for sure where I was taking you. He offered the use of a house that belongs to his family. The location sounded perfect to me and it puts Kingsley at ease to be familiar with where we are going."

"Why?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"As Kingsley put it, it is widely known that Harry Potter just got married and his defenses will be down as he honeymoons with his new bride. Having us vacation somewhere that he is familiar with and already has a certain level of security around it, will help him to feel sure that we will be safe on our honeymoon," Harry clarified. Seeing the look on her face, he added, "We will still be alone and there won't be anyone taking surveillance of us or anything. If the location wasn't so perfect, I would have declined, but know that this isn't a compromise. Its going to be amazing. Also, the week will be more relaxing for me if I'm not worrying about Death Eaters following us there."

"Okay," Ginny agreed. "I trust you."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Back in their bedroom, Harry and Ginny were struggling to make any progress with packing. The problem wasn't the packing itself; it was the temptation to engage in what every newly wedded couple most longed to engage in while alone in their bedroom. Finally, realizing that they were going to shortly run out of time to pack at all, Harry said, "I promise I will take you to bed as soon as we get there, but we need to pack or neither of us are going to have any clothing to wear for the next week."

"I'm failing to see how that would be a problem," Ginny said huskily, as she worked to unbutton Harry's jeans.

"Seriously, Gin," Harry groaned in exasperation. "We have to catch our portkey in half an hour from the Ministry. As much as it pains me to say this, please keep your hands to your self until we get there."

Slightly annoyed at being rebuffed, but able to understand their current predicament, Ginny got down to the business of packing. In fifteen minutes, each felt sure they had everything they needed. Ginny followed Harry down to the kitchen where August liked to sit on a perch near the warm fireplace.

Harry approached the bird with an owl treat. When August took it, Harry stroked the bird's feathers and said, "We'll be gone for about a week. You can stay here or go to The Burrow and keep company with those owls or you can go back to Hogwarts if you want and we'll see you there when term starts." August peered at him wisely, seeming to understand, but made no move to leave his warm perch.

"I'll take care of him if he decided to remain here," Kreacher offered helpfully.

"Thank you, Kreacher," Harry said, "Ginny and I'll be back in a week for just long enough to get the things we need to take back to school for the rest of the term."

Kreacher turned and grabbed the pot of floo powder and held it out for them. Harry grabbed a handful, threw it into the fire, and said, "The Ministry of Magic," before he disappeared into the green flames. Ginny took a handful and followed directly behind him.

At the Ministry, they made their way to Kingsley's office, where they would take their portkey from. He greeted them jovially and led them into his office. He explained a few things to them about the house and reminded them of the time of their return portkey a week from today. One minute before their departure time, they each grabbed an end of an old rolled-up newspaper. It began to glow bright blue and Harry felt the familiar jerk behind his navel. They landed comfortably on the bed in the master bedroom.

"Where are we?" Ginny asked excitedly, as she jumped up off of the bed and tossed her bag on the floor.

"We are on the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands," Harry said. "Come look," he said excitedly, as he pulled her by the arm toward the large windows in the master bedroom. He pulled aside the curtains to reveal a view of clear blue sky, aqua ocean, and white sandy beach.

Ginny gave a whoop of glee as she raced for her bag and proceeded to dump the contents on the bed. She dug through it and pulled from the mess, a bikini. Harry watched in amusement as she begun stripping out of her jeans. "Come on, Harry," Ginny said. "Get your suit on."

"I thought I promised to take you to bed as soon as we got here," Harry teased.

Conflicting emotions flitted across Ginny's face before she sheepishly said, "Do you mind if we just wait until later? It's not that I don't want to, but now that we're here, I just want to go down to the beach."

"It's fine," Harry laughed. "I was expecting you to change your mind anyway."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry sat on the blanket they had brought down to the beach with them from the house, enjoying the feeling of the hot sun on his skin. He was glad he'd asked Molly to teach him the sun screen charm before they left. They just had to remember to cast it on each other every 8 hours or so to keep their skin from burning. He watched Ginny racing the waves at the water's edge. She looked beautiful and happy. Catching him watching her, she beckoned for him to join her. He walked down to where she was and immediately understood why she was trying to stay dry. While the temperature of the air was a very toasty 75 degrees, the water was almost numbingly cold. He joined Ginny in racing the waves and, after a while, was surprised to find that the water didn't feel quite as cold. He grasped Ginny's hand and said, "Take a walk with me?" She complied and together they walked down the beach at the water's edge enjoying the beauty around them.

"You know," Harry began, "this is the first vacation I've ever been on."

"I kind of figured it might be," Ginny replied. "I've only ever been on a few myself."

"Do you think I planned it okay?" Harry asked self consciously.

"Yes," Ginny said immediately. "This is perfect!"

Harry smiled at her and said, "Good."

As they walked, they picked up shells and interesting rocks and stowed them in Harry's pocket. As they walked, Harry watched Ginny wading in the water, her fiery hair rippling in the breeze, and he felt an odd combination of overwhelming happiness and crippling panic. He marveled for about the millionth time since the ceremony that this beautiful and amazing creature was _HIS_ wife. He felt like the luckiest man alive; and yet, at the same time, he worried about how he could ever be a good enough husband for her. When his background and upbringing were taken into consideration, there was no possible way that he should be a fit husband for anyone, let alone someone like Ginny. She glanced back at him as his thoughts triggered sadness to wash over his features. She came to him then, wrapping her arms around him. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she asked, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Harry lied, trying valiantly to infuse his tone with brightness.

"Don't lie, you were thinking about something that made you look as sad as I've ever seen you," Ginny said. "Please tell me."

Harry was quiet for a bit; how could he confess to his wife of only three days that he was bound to be a truly rubbish husband? But he owed it to her to be honest. She had remained standing with her arms wrapped around him. Maybe it would be easier to admit his insecurities if he didn't have to look her in the eye. He pulled her more firmly against him before saying, "I'm worried that I'm going to let you down. I don't have the first idea how to be a good husband."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Ginny asked, as she struggled to be released from his embrace.

Harry released her and cast his eyes down to the sand, saying, "Look at how I was brought up. Look at the example I had growing up of a husband. I had a miserable childhood and a really messed up adolescence. How can someone like me possibly be the kind of husband that someone like you deserves?"

Ginny took Harry by the shoulders and said, "Look at me." When he'd raised his head enough so their eyes met, she continued, "Do you love me?"

"Yes," Harry said, "More than anything."

"Are you going to do your best to take care of me and provide for our family?" She asked.

"Yes, of course, but…," Harry stammered.

"Are you going to hurt me?" Ginny asked.

"No," Harry said.

"Harry, being a good husband doesn't come from how you were raised or what your background is. The very fact that you see that your uncle was a lousy role model of what a husband should be improves your chances of not following in his footsteps. You love me and you already take care of me and provide for me; you're doing fine. Being a good husband is what you make of it. If you are determined not to follow in your uncle's footsteps and to leave your past behind you, then I'm confident that you will," Ginny said. "How long have you been worrying about this?"

"A while," Harry answered cryptically.

"I wish you'd told me how you were feeling, "Ginny said. "It makes me sad to think you've been worrying about this all along. I'm your wife now. I expect you to be able to tell me how you're feeling. Okay?"

"Okay," Harry agreed. "But you have to promise the same."

"Of course," Ginny agreed. "I don't want there to ever be secrets between us."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When they returned to the blanket after their walk, Harry offered to go make them some sandwiches and bring them back down to the beach for a late lunch. "Could you bring the book I packed in my bag too?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded and kissed her quickly before setting off. Ginny moved to the edge of the blanket, burying her toes in the warm sand. She picked up a small stick and began doodling in the sand.

She had drawn hers and Harry's initials surrounded by hearts when, without warning, a tiny voice startled her out of her thoughts. A little boy, who couldn't have been older than two, was standing in front of her pointing at the stick.

"Oh, do you want to try?" Ginny asked him kindly. He nodded and she handed him the stick. Ginny watched as he clumsily drew some lines and a circle and laughed delightedly over the results. "Good job," Ginny said encouragingly. The little boy plopped down in the sand next to her and continued his work. Ginny watched him and naturally her thoughts turned to the children she and Harry might have someday. She wondered if Harry had doubts over fatherhood like he had about being a good husband. She hoped not; she'd watched him enough with Teddy and younger students at school to know that he would make an excellent father when the time came.

"Riley!" a frantic voice called from just down the beach. Ginny scanned the shore and could see a woman followed by two children heading toward her but not yet noticing the child.

"Are you Riley?" Ginny asked the boy. He nodded, continuing with his drawing. "He's over here," Ginny yelled to the woman, as she waved her arms to catch her attention.

The women's shoulders sagged in relief as she and the children jogged over to where they sat. Without a glance for Ginny, the woman scooped up the little boy and crushed him to her chest, and said, "Riley, you scared me. You can't wander off like that." Clearly unaffected by her words, the boy struggled to get down from her arms. When she released him, he immediately returned to his drawing. The woman's attention finally focused on Ginny and, in a choked voice, she said, "Thank you. I was so panicked, what if he had wandered out into the water?"

"It was no problem," Ginny assured her. "He appeared and I let him have my stick. I'm just sorry that it hadn't occurred to me to figure out where he came from, it might have saved you some worry."

At this point, Harry appeared carrying Ginny's book and a picnic basket. He cast a questioning glance at Ginny, who immediately said, "This is my husband Harry. We're here on our honeymoon."

"Oh, how lovely!" the woman said. "We'll get out of your hair then. Thanks again."

The woman gathered her children and they started walking back in the direction they'd come from. "Bye, Riley!" Ginny called after the little boy, who grinned back, and waved the stick that was now his, at her. Harry settled back on the blanket as Ginny explained what had transpired while he was away.

As they ate their lunch, Ginny continued to think about having children someday. The last time they had discussed it had been before they'd even been engaged. Curious about if his answers would be the same as before, when marriage and children seemed a more abstract concept to both of them, she decided she'd ask. "Harry, do you want to have kids someday?"

"Definitely," Harry said immediately, with a smile. "Why do you ask? I'm pretty sure I've told you that before."

"You have," Ginny confirmed. "But I thought I'd ask again, now that we're married and children are a much more real possibility than they were before, I was curious."

"Ah," Harry said. "Yes, I want to have kids someday. But first, I want time for it to just be us."

"Me too," Ginny said. "Plus, if I'm serious about playing professional Quidditch, I need to do it before we start having kids." She was quiet for a moment before saying, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Harry replied.

"You were worried earlier about being a terrible husband, are you worried about being a terrible father too?" Ginny asked.

"No," Harry said without hesitation. Ginny was clearly taken back by his response so he continued. "I mean, I'm sure I'll be nervous about becoming a father, but I don't think I'll be awful at it. I grew up without my own father, but since rejoining the magical world when I was eleven, there have been several men who have filled that role a little bit in one way or another. I feel confident in their examples. Besides, if you think about it, even my Uncle Vernon gave me a good example; of course, his was of how _not_ to be a good father. I saw both extremes there; he treated me horribly, but he spoiled Dudley rotten and it didn't do him any favors."

"I'm glad that you aren't worried about being a father," Ginny said. "I've seen you with Teddy and you'll make a great Dad."

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully.

"Do you want boys or girls?" Ginny asked.

"Hopefully, at least one of each," Harry said. "I'd love to have a little girl who looks just like you. And if we had a so, I'd like him to have a brother. I was always very jealous of Ron for having so many brothers when I didn't have a single sibling, let alone a brother."

"A little girl who looks like me, but has your eyes," Ginny said wistfully, "and a little boy that looks just like you." Each smiled absently imagining it in their minds. "You do realize," Ginny said, "that little boys with Potter and Weasley genes are probably going to be a massive undertaking."

"Yes, but it will be worth it," Harry replied with a grin.

"I think so too," Ginny said happily.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

For the next several hours, they continued enjoying the sun, sand, and waves. They even got hot enough that they braved a quick dip in the icy ocean. It felt heavenly to cool their bodies down, but they couldn't bear to stay in for more than ten minutes. Shivering, and textured with goose bumps, they had returned to the blanket to let the sun warm them back up. Harry had fallen asleep and was even snoring lightly. Ginny wasn't sure she had ever seen him quite so at peace. She was lying beside him, reading a muggle novel that Hermione had recommended. Ginny had never been much of a reader, but mostly it was because she didn't have the time. She might have to start making time though; she found that she was very much enjoying the story.

When the sun began to sink toward the horizon and the air began to cool, Ginny looked at Harry sleeping beside her and her heart swelled with love for him. As she watched him sleep, she thought about how different today had been than she'd expected. It hadn't been very long ago that she thought the sole purpose of a honeymoon was endless amounts of shagging. While she very much hoped that would hold true to some extent, she realized now it was so much more than that. A honeymoon was about getting completely comfortable with your new spouse in your new roles as husband and wife before returning home to convince everyone else that your new roles really fit. She and Harry had been fairly comfortable with each other for a while now; but a trip like this introduced a whole new level of intimacy. She had never had Harry so completely to herself. She was seeing him more relaxed and at ease than she ever had. As the week progressed, she fully expected that each would reveal facets of their personalities that the other had never seen before. She also wondered how many habits and quirks Harry had that she'd never been aware of before. The conversations they'd shared today had been just the start of them getting more well acquainted on every level. She loved knowing that there was no one else on earth that either of them were closer to or belonged more fully to than one another.

Finally, she put a hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "Are you ready to head back? It's starting to get cooler."

Harry woke slowly, gradually remembering where they were. He smiled happily at her and said, "Maybe I can take you to bed now?"

Looking down at her salty, sandy body, Ginny replied, "Maybe a shower first?"

"Maybe," Harry agreed, as he studied his own grimy legs.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As it turned out, a shower would have to wait. Once back in the privacy of the house, Harry couldn't wait to help Ginny out of her bikini; and once the bikini lay abandoned on the bedroom floor, things progressed along a natural course. Ginny tried to rid Harry of his swimming trunks as well, but he had other ideas. He kissed her fervently as he nudged her toward the bed. When the backs of her legs hit the edge of the mattress, she let herself fall back onto it. Harry leaned over her body and let his mouth wander away from her mouth. He kissed and licked his way down her neck. He sucked the delicate skin where her neck and shoulder met before trailing kisses down to her breasts. His mouth found one breast and his fingers the other. He repeated the things he'd learned that she liked, earning the high praise it had earned before. Then he tried something new. Harry's teeth lightly bit her sensitive nipple and it sent a jolt of pleasurable shock through her body. As she moaned in enjoyment and anticipation of what was to come, she couldn't help but think about how this was a side of Harry she hadn't seen before. The thought made her smile wider as his mouth traveled down her stomach and eventually laid a kiss on the inside of her right thigh; apparently he was trying all kinds of new things tonight. He slid down to kneel on the floor before her and, as his warm breath registered on her inner thighs, she had time for just one more thought before thought became no longer possible, "Now _this _is a honeymoon."

**Author's Note: **As always,thank you for reading. And thank you to all of my readers whose names I have come to know and LOVE to see attached to new messages in my inbox. If you are so inclined, leave me a review or send me an idea. I love to know how I'm doing.

Thank you to all of you who sent suggestions for naming the kitten. I did set up a poll on my profile page but it was so far after the time I finished the last chapter that not many of you saw it. In fact, my beta and I made up almost half the voting population. Three reader suggestions made the list: 1.) Cannon from _**DukeBrymin**_ (As in Chudley Cannons since the kitten is orange.) 2.) Aureus by _**BelleDuJour**_ (Aureus means gold in Latin.) 3.) Spark by _**youdontknowmelikeidlikeyouto**_ (I especially liked this one because it was suggested in reference to H&G's relationship and I had been thinking along the same lines. I had been thinking of Flame. When Spark was suggested my mind immediately jumped to Ember, which is the name that won in the poll. The final name in the poll was Tiger Lily, which the Tiger part came from _**Ginny 500**_. So again, thanks.

Finally, lots of thanks to my awesome beta, Terra Ferme for doing an amazing editing job and also for always being willing to talk over ideas with me. You are the best!

If you are still reading this amazingly long author's note, you rock! Thanks!


	30. A Rainy Day

* WARNING *

_This is the second honeymoon chapter and, as such, there are some slightly more graphic scenes. I will mark the offending portions of text with lines so that if you would prefer to skip over them you will easily be able to see where they are._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

On the fourth morning of their honeymoon when Harry woke up, he could immediately sense that something was different. Disengaging enough from Ginny's sleeping form to roll toward the nightstand on his side of the bed, he grabbed his watch. Without grabbing his glasses also, he peered at the face, squinting to bring the tiny hands into focus. It was nearly eleven in the morning, but the room was still quite dark. Curious, Harry put on his glasses and slid out of the bed, trying not to wake Ginny. He crossed to the large window in the master bedroom and, before he even reached it, he could hear the pounding rain and crashing waves. Confirming his suspicions, he pulled back the curtain and revealed a gray and stormy day. He let the curtain fall back into place and returned to the bed. It was the perfect kind of day to spend a little extra time in bed with his wife.

Every other day of their honeymoon so far, had been spent in exactly the same way. They had gotten out of bed when the sun woke them and, after a quick breakfast, headed down to the beach where they spend their days talking, reading, napping, and playing in the sand and waves. Typically, they ate lunch at the beach and returned to the house when the sun started to set. Back at the house they made dinner together, although on a couple of the nights, dinner hadn't been remembered until quite late, after succumbing to other urges first. After dinner, they typically showered and went to bed, where sleeping wouldn't rank on the agenda until after more talking and making love had taken place. Kingsley had told them of some sites of interest they could visit should they choose to venture away from the house on the beach, but neither had wanted to interrupt their relaxing honeymoon by heading further inland and possibly having to deal with tourists.

Harry climbed back under the covers, jostling Ginny and effectively waking her up. She yawned, stretched, and asked groggily, "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven," Harry said, as he snuggled against her under the covers. "It's pouring out."

"What are we going to do today then?" Ginny asked, sounding remorseful.

"I have a few suggestions," Harry said, as he bent to kiss her.

Moving her face so his lips connected with her ear instead, she asked playfully, "Oh really, like what?"

* * *

"Well, we could start with a little of this," Harry said, as his lips moved from her ear down to her neck. Ginny purred in contentment and threaded her fingers into his messy hair. After several long minutes, Harry said, "Then maybe a little of this," as his mouth moved further south. He remained there until he had Ginny squirming in anticipation. "Finally, I thought we could do this," he said, as he pushed the covers aside and moved furthest south.

Ginny drew in a strangled breath and gasped, "Merlin, Harry."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A while later, still in bed, Harry suggested, "Breakfast?"

"Don't you want to sample _my_ ideas for the day?" Ginny asked, as she ran a hand suggestively down his thigh.

"Of course," Harry said eagerly.

Ginny pushed Harry onto his back and straddled his stomach. She leaned down to kiss him, pushing her breasts against his chest. He groaned and kissed her back ardently until she started to inch backward, leaving a trail of love bites down his chest. He hissed, enjoying the mix of pain and pleasure. When she reached her intended target, a curtain of hair shielded her from view, but it became immediately clear that she was countering his suggestion from earlier. Enjoying the sensations, but wanting the full effect, he said hoarsely, "Move your hair, I want to watch."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

* * *

When the couple finally made it out of bed and went to the kitchen to eat, it was definitely closer to lunchtime than breakfast. Harry was making sandwiches while Ginny watched sadly as the rain thundered down outside the window. It was raining so hard now; it was hard to make out the shoreline from their distance. Ginny sighed and said, "So, what _are_ we going to do today?"

"Play games?" Harry suggested. "There's loads of muggle board games in the closet by the sitting room. Or we could watch movies, I saw a VCR connected to the TV and lots of video tapes."

"Maybe," Ginny said distractedly.

Harry could tell that she was thinking about something, maybe formulating a plan in her mind, but didn't push her; she'd tell him when she was ready. He set a plate of food in front of her at the table and sat down across from her. When she caught him watching her, she grinned and said, "I know what we can do."

"Eat your lunch first. You expended a lot of energy this morning," Harry teased.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When the lunch dishes were left in the sink, Harry let Ginny lead him by the hand to the stairs and up to the second level of the house. As the master bedroom was on the main floor, they hadn't had any reason to visit the second level beyond the quick tour they took on their first day here. Ginny flicked on the lights in the bathroom and cried, "Ha, I knew I remembered seeing that." She gestured to a spacious whirlpool tub set into the corner of the huge bathroom. Ginny pulled him into the room and shut the door behind them. As he watched, she turned on the water and added a large quantity of bubble bath. She set candles she conjured around the tub's edge and lit them with her wand. She flipped off the overhead lights, leaving them in the glow from the candles. The bathroom was quiet, outside of the water filling the tub and the rain pounding on the roof above them. "Take a bath with me," she requested, as she began to strip out of her clothes.

Harry didn't have to be asked twice. He followed her lead, leaving his clothes in a pile on the floor. He stepped into the tub behind her, enjoying the feel of the hot water. "Sit," she ordered. Then, when he was positioned, she settled herself between his legs so she could lean back into his chest. He sighed contently and admitted to himself that this really had been a perfect idea. It was cozy, relaxing in the water that came nearly up to their chins, listening to the storm howling outside. He wrapped his arms around her waist and settled his chin on her shoulder.

"Can I tell you a story?" Ginny asked, sounding somewhat vulnerable, which was unlike her.

"Sure," Harry agreed.

"Once upon a time, there was a little red-haired girl. She lived in a crazy house with six red-haired older brothers who liked to pull pranks and tease the little girl. The thing they liked to tease her most about was her obsession with the stories about the boy who'd conquered the evil lord. You see, the little girl also loved fairytales and believed that the boy must be a prince or, at the very least, a brave knight and she dreamed that one day he would rescue her from her older red-haired brothers and take her away to live with him in his castle. The little girl got older and the fairytales were forgotten, after all, those sorts of things could never really happen. Then, when the youngest red-haired brother went away to school for the first time, the girl saw the boy who conquered the evil lord at the train station and let a little bit of her belief creep back in," Ginny paused then, to clear her throat.

Unsure of where she was going with this, Harry remained quiet.

Continuing, Ginny said, "For that whole year, while her brothers were away at school, the little girl thought about the boy and her obsession returned. She was amazed to learn that the boy was best friends with her youngest brother and, near the end of the summer holidays, he came to stay in the crazy house too. When school was back in session, it was time for the girl to go away for her first year at school. It was a hard year for the girl. Her older brothers and the boy didn't have time for her; she hadn't made a lot of friends and, worst of all, she had fallen under the spell of a form of the same evil lord that so many had thought conquered. Eventually, the girl was so deeply under the evil lord's spell that he was able to control her completely and brought her to a secret chamber far beneath the school where he planned to kill her by taking her life force. The girl cried and wished that she'd told even one of her brothers what was going on. Now she was facing certain death and no one even knew she was here. She thought about the boy then. She hoped that by some miracle the fairytales of her youth were true and he could be her knight in shining armor. As she grew weaker and finally slipped into unconsciousness, she admitted to herself that maybe her obsession with him had just been a silly crush all along."

"Why are you telling me this?" Harry asked carefully.

"Shhhh," Ginny chided. "This has a point, I promise. You see, I was the girl and you were the boy, but sometimes it's easier to think about it like it was someone else. I was so foolish and it still hurts to think of how completely I emptied my soul into that diary and what a betrayal it was in the end. At first, he really was like my friend. When I woke up, it was to see your worried face above mine, wishing for me not to be dead. You have no idea what the rush of emotions was like when I realized I wasn't dead; or actually, you probably do. I was grateful not to be dead, disappointed to still be alive and still responsible for my actions, scared that something worse was in store, embarrassed over the situation I'd landed myself in, and amazed to find you there with me. At that moment, my belief in the impossible, in fairytales, was restored and, more than anything, I knew without a doubt, that I would love you for the rest of my life. Perhaps then it was a naïve and adolescent love, but nevertheless, it was true and strong. As we grew older and got to know each other better, my love for you grew as well. I didn't know if you would ever feel the same way about me and I have always been afraid that you would laugh at me if you knew; but I have been in love with you since I was eleven years old. Now that I know that you are mine forever and that you love me too, I wanted to tell you that you have always been the one for me. I have always loved you. You _are_ my knight in shining armor."

Harry was awed by her words. He had, of course, known that Ginny harbored a crush on him when they were younger, but he'd never realized the depth of her feelings or just how much his rescuing her had meant to her. Part of him wished he could tell her that he'd loved her all along too, but it wouldn't be the truth. The truth was that, as they grew up and he got to know her better, he subconsciously realized that she was the perfect girl for him. Then, when he and Ron had caught Ginny and Dean snogging in the corridor, his subconscious had quickly started to make him painfully aware of his feeling for her.

"You're being awfully quiet," Ginny said.

"I'm trying to remember the exact moment I fell in love with you," Harry said. "But I'm not sure I was consciously aware of it. In most ways, my falling for you took me so much by surprise that, by the time I figured it out, I think I was already in love with you."

"My point in telling you all that wasn't so you'd confess the same to me," Ginny said. "It was mostly to get it off my chest. It was something I'd wanted to tell you for years, but hadn't enough guts to do."

"If you loved me so much," Harry said, "how could you date other guys?"

"I wasn't sure you'd ever return my feelings," Ginny said. "I hoped of course, but I wasn't going to wait around forever. What if you never came around?"

"I'm sorry you had to wait so long for me to figure it all out," Harry said.

"I'm not," Ginny replied. "It made it all that much more brilliant when things finally fell into place. Besides, if we'd already been together for years now, you might already be bored with me."

"I can't imagine ever being bored with you," Harry said, as he tightened his hold around her waist.

"Give it a few years and we'll see what you think," Ginny said.

"Do you think you'll be bored with _me_ in a few years then?" Harry asked.

"Not a chance," Ginny said wistfully. "I think in a few years, I'll feel like the adventure is still just getting started."

"Good," Harry said happily. "That's what I thought being married to my best friend would be like."

"You married to Ron too?" Ginny teased.

Harry chuckled and said, "No, while Ron was my first real friend and will always be my best guy friend, _you're _my best friend. You're the one I want to share everything with, not Ron."

"Well, that works out pretty perfectly," Ginny said with a grin. "Because, you're my best friend too."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Later that afternoon, Harry and Ginny lay sprawled on a couch in the sitting room. They had just finished watching one movie on the VCR and were trying to decide what to watch next. The rain was still pelting down outside making it impossible to venture out. While they complained to one another about the weather and how much they wished the sun would come back out so they could return to the beach, secretly they had enjoyed their day stuck inside. It was giving them an opportunity to discuss things that they would have been too distracted to discuss had they spent their day on the beach.

"What are your plans for when we get out of school?" Ginny asked abruptly.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, as he glanced up from the movies he was studying. "I'm going to be an Auror."

"Well, I thought maybe you might have changed your mind," Ginny said.

"Why would I do that?" Harry asked. "I've been training all year to become an Auror. Do you want me to change my mind? Are you worried about how dangerous it is again?"

"I do worry about how dangerous it, but that isn't what I meant. You know I'm not the only one the scouts are coming to see play Quiddtich at our matches, right?" Ginny asked. "They're scouting you, too."

"I guess I hadn't given it much thought," Harry said.

"Why not?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Harry said. "I guess when I think about my future, I don't see myself playing Quidditch professionally. I want to be an Auror and hunt down Death Eaters. I want to help make the world a better place for when we start having kids."

"But you're an amazing player, Harry. I think playing professionally would be brilliant," Ginny said.

"It would be a lot of fun," Harry said, considering it for a moment. "I just know that it isn't the right choice for me."

"But why not?" Ginny asked. "You were the youngest player to get onto a house team in a century; you are a great seeker and a great captain. Why won't you even consider it? Maybe you could do both, be an Auror and play Quidditch."

"No," Harry said firmly. "Playing Quidditch professionally would mean putting myself willing into the spotlight. I've lived with being famous, for something that happened to me when I was baby, my whole life. If I could play professionally and not deal with the fame part, I might consider it."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that," Ginny said. "I thought it might be fun if we played professionally, but you have to do what is going to feel right for you and make you happiest. Are you okay with me playing? I mean, you'll still have to deal with the fame part of it, being married to a professional Quidditch player and all."

"Of course," Harry said with a grin. "You are one of the best Quidditch players I've ever seen. You owe it to yourself and your legions of future fans to play professionally. For you, this _is_ the right choice."

"I just can't imagine being given the chance to play professionally and not taking it," Ginny said. "I've never had to deal with the fame thing, but I love Quidditch too much to think it would change my mind."

"You'll be brilliant," Harry assured her. "I'll be your biggest fan."

"And I'll be yours," she replied.

"Do Aurors have fans?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"They do now," Ginny said with a grin.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When they lay down in bed that night to sleep, Harry watched Ginny reading her book and thought that today might be his favorite day of the honeymoon so far. They hadn't been able to go to the beach, but the conversations they'd shared had been invaluable. He had learned things about Ginny that he'd never known before. He wondered if maybe one of the keys to keeping a relationship from getting boring was to continue getting to know each other like they had today. He was sure there were still things he and Ginny didn't know about one another and, as they matured and acquired new interests, there was bound to be a lifetime's worth of information about each other to learn. He hadn't known it was possible, but the things she'd shared with him today made him love even more than he had before. He smiled at her, his wife and best friend, and knew that their life together was going to be the best adventure of all.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

An ear splitting crack of thunder woke Harry from a dead sleep in the middle of the night. He bolted upright in bed and tried to breath slowly to calm his pounding heart. He turned and saw Ginny sitting with her back against the headboard and her knees drawn up to her chest. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. It just got too loud and I couldn't sleep," Ginny said.

"How long have you been awake?" Harry asked.

"Maybe half an hour. I was going to wake you up to keep me company if it didn't stop pretty soon," Ginny said.

"I'm up now, I can keep you company," Harry offered. "Come here," he directed, tugging on her foot. She slid back under the covers and molded her body against his. Another crack of thunder splintered the silence as a bolt of lightening lit up the room. Despite claiming not to be afraid, he felt her body stiffen against him. "What you need is some distraction," Harry murmured into her ear. He lowered his mouth to hers as his hands slid down to cup her bottom.

At that moment, the loudest crack of thunder yet boomed and they felt the walls of the house shake. "Harry," Ginny whispered, "I think you might need to work a bit faster to distract me."

* * *

Harry took her words as a challenge, grasping the hem of her silky nightgown, he shimmied it up, baring her body. He shifted their arrangement, pulling her into a sitting position long enough to remove the nightgown from her body before returning his lips to hers and trapping her body beneath his.

Ginny marveled at the way he was using his body to enclose her, making her feel safe and protected. He was supporting some of his weight with his elbows and knees but letting the rest of his weight lie closely upon her, pinning her to the bed. She could scarcely move he had her pinned so tightly. She wouldn't enjoy this sensation all of the time but, right now, it was perfect. He was doing all of the work, being in a current position of dominance. She focused all her attention on kissing him and let all other thought cease.

When he could tell that she had completely blocked out the storm raging around the house, he nudged her knees apart and sank into her. She wrapped her legs around him, inviting him in completely. He kissed her fiercely and reveled in the absolute abandon with which she was giving herself to him. Their love making up until now had been sweet and loving. This was different. The storm was spurring this and it was aggressive and almost reckless. Right now for her, this was an escape and he was more than willing to provide that.

When they finished, Ginny sighed happily and curled against his chest, falling asleep almost immediately. Harry chuckled and was surprised to see her succumb so quickly to sleep when the storm was still ranging as intensely as ever just outside. Apparently, distraction had been just the ticket. He stroked a hand down her still naked side and hoped that the next thunderstorm would be just as enjoyable. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes too.

* * *

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

On the morning of their departure back to the real world, Harry woke Ginny before sunrise. She complained, but submitted as he led her down to the beach. He settled himself on the sand and motioned for her to join him. He situated her between his legs so she could lean back into his chest. He wrapped the blanket he had brought along around them both and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"What are we doing out here?" Ginny asked grumpily.

"Something I've been meaning to do with you all week," Harry said. "This is our last chance."

"To freeze to death?" Ginny asked.

"To watch the sunrise," Harry said, ignoring her irritation; she had never been much of a morning person.

"Oh," Ginny said, clearly surprised by his answer.

Harry gathered her in closer and prepared to share with her the things that had been on his mind while they waited for the sun to rise. "Thank you," he said simply, just starting out.

"For what?" Ginny asked.

"Thank you for everything. Thank you for having enough faith in me to trust that I'd be a good husband for you. Thank you for marrying me and becoming my wife. Thank you for the amazing honeymoon we are quickly coming to the end of. Most of all, thank you for loving me. I have never been so happy in my entire life and I know that I owe it all to you," Harry said.

Feeling like a selfish idiot for complaining about being dragged out of bed for this, Ginny's eyes welled up a bit. She knew that, for Harry, sharing his feelings this openly was never easy and, right now, he was pouring his heart out. "Harry," she began in a choked voice, "you don't have to thank me. I should be thanking you. I have never been happier either. This has been the best week of my life."

"Me too," Harry said.

They were quiet then, watching as a thin strip above the surface of the water at the horizon began to glow radiantly orange. For the next half hour, they watched as the sky continued to lighten and the strip of glowing orange, pink, and purple widened. It was a beautiful thing to witness and the perfect end to their honeymoon.

"I love you, Ginny," Harry said.

"I love you, too, Harry," Ginny replied.

"Let's go get a bit more sleep before we have to pack up and catch our portkey," Harry suggested.

"Not just yet," Ginny said. With her wand, she conjured a large glass jar with a cover. She bent and scooped several large handfuls of the white sand into the jar. "We can put the shells and rocks we collected in here too and keep it at the house. It will always remind us of this week."

"Maybe someday we can come back," Harry suggested.

"I would like that," Ginny replied.

"Me too," Harry agreed.

Hand in hand, they returned to the house. It had been a perfect week, but now it was time to face real life again. The prospect of returning to school the next day was disappointing to say the least. The memories they were returning home with though, would last them a lifetime.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Author's Note**: Thank you for reading!!! Let me know how I'm doing or if you have ideas for me. I love to hear from readers. Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing, especially all the new names I've been seeing lately!

A million thanks to my awesome beta Terra Ferme for editing this chapter and always being will to trade ideas with my stories with me. You made the end product of each new chapter that much better. Thank you!!

The thunderstorm love scene in this chapter was inspired by the a chapter (71 – Consequences) of **DukeBrymin's** story '_A Collection of mostly 100 Word Drabbles._' I enjoyed the chapter so much and couldn't stop thinking about it…it found its way here. I asked permission to use it – thank you for the inspiration!!

Fair warning ~ my real life is going to interrupt my writing for a bit. I am a freelance designer and have been commissioned to work on page layout design on a book. Between that and my regular job it is going to keep me out of commission as far as writing goes for a bit. I am hoping that my regular job is a bit slow and I'll have time to work on writing at my desk…but we'll see what happens. I just wanted you all to know that I'm not abandoning the story; I will be back. I promise!

Oh, and for anyone who noticed...FF will not let me separate the sections in my story like it used to. I tried lots of things and this was the best solution, as much as I don't like it. Sorry.


	31. Back to Real Life

Aboard the Hogwarts Express back to school, Harry was sitting beside Ginny watching her play with Ember. They had considered spending several more hours alone at Grimmauld Place before apparating back to Hogwarts, instead of taking the train, but decided it might be good to have the time on the train to get used to being around people again. They were sitting in a compartment with Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville.

"Oy, Harry," Ron said, interrupting Harry's thoughts. "Would you stop looking at my baby sister like you've seen her naked? Its disturbing."

"But that's the point Ronald," Ginny said cheekily. "He _has_ seen me naked."

"I know, but I'd prefer not to be reminded of it," Ron said irritably.

"How should I look at her?" Harry asked, amused.

"Like a dear old friend," Ron said, "whom you've never seen naked."

"Never gonna happen," Neville interjected. "They're married now, that's just how he looks at her. Not a thing you can do about it."

Everyone looked in surprise at Neville, who shrugged and said, "Haven't you noticed? Married people look at each other in a certain way. Like they know what the other is thinking at all times and like they know all each other's secrets."

Harry and Ginny shared a smile at this point, thinking about the week they'd just spent and Neville said, "See, just like that."

"I think it's sweet," Hermione said happily as she watched her friends.

"How was your honeymoon?" Luna asked dreamily.

"Perfect," Ginny sighed.

"Where did you go?" Neville asked.

"We went to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands," Harry said. "Kingsley lent us his family's beach house there."

"It was beautiful," Ginny said.

"Do you have pictures?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry said. "We didn't remember to bring a camera."

"Did you do any sight seeing?" Ron asked.

"None," Harry said. "We spent almost the entire week on the beach."

"Almost the entire week?" Ron asked.

"Well it rained one day and we spent most of that day in bed…I mean, inside," Ginny said, purposely trying to get a reaction out of Ron.

Ron was very purposely staring at his shoe and pretending he hadn't heard Ginny. Harry, on the other hand, flushed and said, "Gin, that's not true, we didn't spend _all_ day in bed."

"You're right," Ginny said with a sly grin at her husband. "There was the couch and the bathtub too…"

"Enough," Ron bellowed,. "I do not want to hear about all the places you two shagged on your honeymoon."

Hermione, Luna, and Neville snickered at Ron's discomfort as Ginny turned to Harry and innocently asked, "I wasn't talking about shagging, were you Harry?"

At this moment, Ron plugged his ears with his fingers and sang, "La la la, I can't hear you."

"Lighten up, Ron," Ginny scolded. "You'd think after all the teasing you and everyone gave us over Christmas, you could stand be teased yourself."

"I agree," Luna interjected. "You and Hermione are so public about your love life; I'm surprised you can't stomach to hear about your sister's."

"What do you mean by _public_, Luna?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Well, I assume that since you shagged in the large flowing bush just below Ravenclaw Tower during the first week of school, that you're comfortable with sharing your love publically," Luna said.

"Ronald," Hermione hissed, "you told me that no one could see us in there."

"I'm sure no one on the ground could see you, but we had quite an excellent view in Ravenclaw Tower," Luna said. As everyone besides Hermione and Ron was too busy laughing to comment, Luna continued, "If it is any consolation, it looked like Ronald was quite skilled at what he was doing."

Hermione lowered her flaming face into her hands and moaned, "Oh no!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When they arrived back at Hogwarts, Headmistress McGonagall was waiting for the four head students in the entry hall. "I'm here to show you to your updated head's dorms," she explained. They followed her up to the same hallway where one of the doors now read, "The Potters." She opened the door for them and explained how to change the password to one of their own choosing. "Your suite now contains just one bedroom, but it is substantially larger than the bedrooms you had before. Additionally, there is a small kitchen in your suite to allow you to dine privately from time to time if you so wish. It will be kept stocked by the same house elves that clean your suites. The panel that opened between the head dorms before has been removed. If the four of you want to meet, you have to do it in one dorm or the other. Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger will need to be invited into your suite. I will leave you to explore your new home in private."

Harry and Ginny ducked into the dorm and, before they closed the door behind them, heard McGonagall say, "I will escort the two of you into your suite. There are several rules we need to go over in regard to the two of you living together in light of your relationship."

Harry and Ginny dropped their bags just inside the door and moved further into the suite. The overall feel of the room was much the same as it had been previously. It was a cozy stone room decorated in red and gold like the Gryffindor common room was. The sitting area was arranged around a large stone fireplace. The study area was different though. Previously, the wall there had opened into the other dorm room. Now a large cork board occupied this wall and their desks, which faced each other, butted up against it. The door for the bedroom was next to the fireplace and another door for the bathroom was several feet down, closer to where they had come in and beside the small kitchen that was placed where the second bedroom had been previously. The kitchen had a large box like a fridge that magically kept the food cold since the castle had no electricity. There was also a small stove similar to the one in the Burrow's kitchen as well as several cupboards with dishes and cooking implements. A table with 4 chairs was just outside the kitchen area.

"Ready to see where we'll be _sleeping_ for the next 6 months, Mr. Potter?" Ginny asked seductively, carefully putting emphasis on the word 'sleeping' as if that was the last thing they'd ever spend doing within.

"Can't wait, Mrs. Potter," Harry said, as he dropped a kiss on her neck. She spun then and he put his hands on her hips, letting her lead the way.

The bedroom was not what either had expected, but at the same time, amazingly perfect. There was a large stone fireplace on one wall which was cracking merrily and warming up the rest of the large room. In front of the fireplace were two plush armchairs with a small table in between them. There was a long dresser against one wall and upon it were many framed photos, including some from their wedding. The large bed was flanked by a nightstand on either side. All the furniture was made of a light colored wood. The bedding, armchairs and curtains were all in hues of light blue or aqua and carpet was white. Over the fireplace hung a large picture of what appeared to be the beach they stayed on in Fuerteventura and balanced on the mantle, like back at Grimmauld Place, was a large glass jar filled with white sand and seashells.

"This room looks like the master bedroom at the beach house," Ginny said excitedly. "It's perfect."

"I like the idea of being reminded of our honeymoon for the rest of the school year," Harry said.

"Me too," Ginny practically purred. "Care to reenact some of the scenes right now?"

"You know I would love to," Harry said, as he resisted being dragged toward the bed by his arm. "But you know that if we skip the first dinner back at school to break in our new bed, the teasing will just be worse tomorrow."

"True," Ginny pouted. "But you better bring your A-game tonight mister."

"Oh, I intend to," Harry said, as he finally let Ginny pull him onto the bed with her. He snuggled close to her and kissed her scorchingly, a little preview for later that evening.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

They made their way down to dinner with Ron and Hermione after touring each others' dorm rooms. As soon as the four of them entered the Great Hall, the room grew nearly silent for a moment before they roar of voices doubled. As they made their way across the back of the hall to the Gryffindor table, lots of people called out to the newly married couple. Many offered their congratulations but several others were using this opportunity to tease the couple.

"Potter's back from his honeymoon, guess he finally became a real man," one voice at the Slytherin table called.

"Doubt it," another voice answered, "I should show his wife what a _real_ man is."

A feminine voice scoffed then and added, "Only if I can show him what a _real_ woman is."

Harry saw Ginny's jaw tighten in response to the calls around them. He grasped her hand and squeezed it then. "It's okay," Harry whispered. "Just ignore them."

Similar comments followed them all the way to their table. As they settled at the table, they breathed a sigh of relief, believing the comments wouldn't come from students in their own house; they were wrong.

"Harry, you got Ginny knocked up yet?" Seamus called from down the table.

"Ginny," Lavendar called from the other direction, "I want to hear about every single tiny detail from your honeymoon, or maybe the most important detail wasn't so tiny."

"We should have stayed in our room." Ginny hissed.

Harry didn't have time to respond because, at that moment, a large barn owl dropped a basket on the table in front of them. Ron and Hermione were holding back their laughter as Ginny stared open mouthed at the contents of the basket. Harry picked up the card attached to the handle of the basket to see who had sent them an embarrassingly large supply of both muggle and magical contraceptives. He read quietly so only Ginny could hear_, "Dearest Harry and Ginny, Welcome home from your honeymoon. We hope you had some real mattress shaking fun while you were away. We wanted to make sure that you were well prepared to prevent the arrival of any Potter-Weasley spawn too early. Please accept this gift as a belated wedding present. Love, Your Favorite Brothers, Charlie and George."_

"I _will _kill them," Ginny raged.

"Gin," Harry said quickly, "I know that this is embarrassing but we have to just grin and bear it. If we let everyone see how much this affects us, we won't hear the end of it for the rest of the year."

"You're absolutely right," Ginny said.

"So, I'm just going to move this basket and we're going to eat our dinner…," Harry began.

Ginny rose from the table, ignoring Harry, grabbed the basket in one hand and took one of his hands in her free hand and pulled him toward the entry hall. Harry stumbled a bit trying to keep up with her and asked, "Gin, what's going on?"

She stopped, pulling him in for a kiss in full view of everyone before saying, "Showing everyone just how much we aren't embarrassed by all of this." Catching her meaning, he grinned at her and kissed her again before they left the Great Hall, clearly in a hurry to get back to their room.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Back in their room, Ginny left the basket on the table near the kitchen and pulled Harry toward their bedroom, "Time to try out that new bed," she suggested.

Harry's stomach growled loudly and he asked, "Can we eat some dinner first?"

"Fine," Ginny said shortly, as she began to back away.

"Gin," Harry said, as he pulled her back toward him. "It's not that I don't want to, but unless I get some dinner, I'm going to be distracted the whole time thinking about how hungry I am."

"Maybe I should have let you finish your dinner before dragging you out of the Great Hall," Ginny admitted. "I just let my embarrassment get the best of me. I just had to get out of there."

"I understand," Harry said, as he put a pan on the stove and cracked several eggs into it.

"What are you making?" Ginny asked.

"Scrambled eggs," Harry said. "It's the quickest meal I could think of."

"Enough for two?" Ginny asked sheepishly, as her stomach growled as well.

"Of course," Harry said happily.

"Thanks," Ginny said with a smile.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry had reached the point of unhooking Ginny's bra when a sharp urgent knocking could be heard on the outside door of their dorm. "Just ignore it," Ginny urged, as she deftly reached around and unhooked the bra herself.

"Hey, I was getting to that," Harry protested. "What if its something important?"

"How important could it be, it's the first night back after break?" Ginny asked. "Whatever it is, can wait until tomorrow." To draw his attention back to her, Ginny slipped a hand into his boxer shorts.

Harry groaned and was nearly ready to forget whoever was knocking when they shouted, "Harry Potter, I know you're in there."

"Damn," Ginny said, as she pulled on a bathrobe and threw another to Harry. He pulled it on as he ran toward the door. He stopped to securely belt his robe before pulling open the door to find Noah on the other side.

"Harry," Noah said, looking anxious. "Grab your things; we need you on a mission, tonight."

"Tonight?" Harry asked. "It's the first night back after break."

"I know Harry and I'm sure you want to be here with your wife, but if I'm being honest we could have used you last week but were under orders from Kingsley not to disturb you until tonight. Now, quickly, we have to go. You have ten minutes and I'll come back to collect you."

In the bedroom, Ginny was crying quietly as she packed clothing into a bag for him. He hated to see her cry. Unlike a lot of girls, Ginny didn't cry much, something he appreciated about her very much. This time, he understood her tears though; he hadn't thought they'd have to spend time apart from each other so soon after the wedding. He grabbed his invisibility cloak, field journal, quill, ink, and the moke skin pouch and thrust them at her. She stuffed them into the bag roughly and said, "Now, make love to me, quickly."

Harry didn't question whether or not they had enough time, he simply obeyed. Eight and a half minutes later, he was pulling on discarded clothing that littered their bedroom floor. Ginny brought him his new watch and the dog tags. Still naked, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. "Be careful," she whispered.

"I will," he whispered back. "I'm sorry I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I know," Ginny said. "Just be careful and remember that I love you."

"I love you, too," Harry said. He bent to kiss her and, as their lips met, Noah knocked on the door again. Reluctantly, he drew back from Ginny and, with a sad smile, picked up his wand as he headed to the door.

Ginny closed the bedroom door and listened as Harry spoke to Noah and then closed the door behind him. She didn't even know how long he was going to be gone for. She gathered the clothing on the floor and dropped them into a laundry basket. From the dresser, she pulled a tee shirt and pajama pants of Harry's out and pulled them on. Over them, she pulled on his bathrobe and breathed in his familiar scent. She looked around the bedroom and wondered what she should do now. Her glance fell upon the rumpled bedspread and knew that she would go crazy if she sat alone in their bedroom all night. She pulled her own dog tags out and put them around her neck before picking up some yarn and needles and heading out to the sitting area. It was as she sat staring at her yarn, wondering what to knit, when she noticed the basket of contraceptives from her brothers that she realized that she hadn't seen Harry use any kind of protection.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry fell into his camp bed at the headquarters well after midnight. He was exhausted, but his first thought was to let Ginny know that he was okay. Feeling sure that she would be asleep in their bed, he sent the message anyway knowing that she would get it in the morning and be relieved. He pointed his wand and wrote, _"Gin, I'm okay. Shouldn't be away for more than two or three days. Sorry for the quick departure. Love you. Harry."_

He settled himself more comfortably in his bed and closed his eyes. Even though they hadn't been married for two whole weeks yet, it felt wrong to go to sleep without her beside him. He breathed slowly, willing himself to relax and sleep. He had to be up for his watch with Noah at six, it would not be wise to lay awake all night. Then his dog tags burned against his chest. He pulled them out and read, _"Harry, Thanks for letting me know you are safe. It'll be a long couple of days without you. Be safe, please. Love, Ginny."_

"_Can I ask a favor of you?" _Harry quickly wrote back_._

"_Of course," _Ginny replied_._

"_If I'm not back in time for DADA, will you and Hermione instruct the class with the notes in my bag?" _Harry asked_._

"_No problem, what'll we be teaching?" _Ginny asked.

"_I was going to do a review lesson on everything we covered just before break," _Harry wrote back.

"_Sounds good. Can I ask you a question?" _Ginny asked.

"_Certainly," _Harry replied_._

"_Did you manage to use any sort of contraceptive while I wasn't looking?" _Ginny wrote.

There was a long pause then and Ginny could have laughed imagining Harry stressing out over her question if she wasn't so worried about the answer herself. Finally he replied saying, _"Merlin, Gin. In the heat of the moment, I didn't remember."_

"_It's okay, Harry. Which ever way things turn out, it'll be okay." _Ginny wrote back_._

"_How long until you know?" _Harry asked.

"_About two weeks," _Ginny replied.

"_I'm so sorry, Gin. I can't believe I forgot," _Harry wrote.

"_I didn't remember either. As much as I'm not ready to have a baby, how could one born out of so much love be bad? Its okay," _Ginny replied.

After a bit more conversation via the dog tags, both decided they'd better try to get some sleep before their busy schedules the next day.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning, Ginny woke early and fixed herself breakfast in their dorm. She hadn't slept well. The combined factors of worrying over a possible pregnancy and Harry's absence had kept her tossing and turning all night long. She was crabby and tired and knew that going down to breakfast alone on this first morning would just make her feel worse. The last thing she needed was people speculating about why she was alone.

Ginny made her way to her first class and tried to avoid making eye contact with anyone. She knew she was going to have to answer the questions eventually, but the longer she could put it off, the better. She settled at the table she and Harry shared in Charms and put all her focus into pulling her things out of her bag. When Professor Flitwick took his spot at the front of the class, he saved her the trouble of having to answer the question over and over by asking, "Mrs. Potter, where is your husband?"

"Out on an Auror mission since last night. He should be back in two or three days," Ginny explained.

"Very well. Let's get on with our lesson for today, shall we?" He said.

The lesson seemed to pass very slowly, she could feel Ron and Hermione's eyes boring into the back of her head, just waiting for the end of the lesson to ask subsequent questions. Thankfully, as they were learning something brand new today there was no time for a practical lesson and she didn't have to endure being paired up with someone else for the duration of the lesson. When the bell rang, she gathered her things and quickly left the room. Ron and Hermione were right on her tail though.

"Ginny," Ron called. "Wait up."

Despite preferring not to discuss it, Ginny slowed down and let them catch up with her.

"When did Harry leave?" Hermione asked.

"Last night right after we ate dinner up in our room," Ginny said. "Noah turned up and gave him ten minutes to be ready to leave."

"Why didn't you come tell us last night?" Hermione asked worriedly. "You could have hung out with us in our room."

"I wasn't really in the best mood to spend time with other people," Ginny explained.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked.

"I'm fine," Ginny said, but a slight catch in her voice gave away the fact that she was anything but fine.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione asked.

"No," Ginny said. "And besides, we have class."

"Actually, this is a free period," Ron said.

"Oh, right," Ginny said distractedly.

"Let's go up to your dorm, I'll make you some tea and you can tell me all about it," Hermione said.

"Okay," Ginny conceded, then with a quick look at her brother added, "Ron, would you be offended if I just talked to Hermione about this?"

Knowing his sister well enough to see how close to tears she was, Ron knew Hermione would deal with this better than he could and, in relief, said, "No, that's fine. But if you need anything, I'll be right next door."

Hermione settled Ginny on the couch and went into their small kitchen to make tea. When she returned, she just waited for Ginny to speak.

"I'm not sure I can be married to an Auror. Just the thought of him being out there in harm's way makes me panic. I always thought I was such a tough girl, but suddenly I'm not. It's like getting married to him added this whole other level to things and now I'm more terrified than ever of losing him. There is a part of me that is one hundred percent certain that, now that he is mine forever, I'm going to lose him," Ginny rattled off, wiping away tears the entire time.

"Breathe, Ginny," Hermione said.

"I can't. I'm too panicked. If he doesn't come back, I'll be alone. I'll have to do this all alone," Ginny said.

"Do what?" Hermione asked in confusion.

Realizing what she had inadvertently revealed to Hermione, Ginny shook her head and said, "What? No, nothing."

"You said that you would have to do this all alone?" Hermione said. "What did you mean by that?"

"Just that I'd have to live the rest of my life, alone," Ginny tried.

"No, that's not it," Hermione pushed.

Ginny huffed in annoyance and said, "When Noah came to the door last night, we'd been about to make love. So, when Harry came back from the door, I helped him pack in record time so we'd still have time…"

"For a quickie," Hermione supplied.

"And in our haste, we forgot to use protection," Ginny said. "Neither of us want a baby yet, but there is every chance that one could be on the way."

"Oh, Ginny," Hermione breathed. "Does Harry know?"

"Yes," Ginny said, "Which has me even more terrified. I shouldn't have said anything. He needs to keep his mind on his mission and not be worrying about whether or not he knocked me up."

"Ginny, you know that Harry is extremely capable and he's with Noah," Hermione said. "He's going to come back from this mission just fine and, as for whether or not you are pregnant…, whatever is meant to be, will be."

"I know, I know," Ginny said. "I just can't help but worry."

"I can see that," Hermione said with a smirk, as she motioned to the knitting laying on the coffee table in front of the couch they were seated on. "What are you making?"

"I didn't realize until I was half way into it, what I was making," Ginny said with a blush, as she picked up and showed to Hermione as miniscule pair of baby booties.

"It seems to me that even if you and Harry weren't planning for this to happen so fast, if it does happen, you'll be just fine," Hermione said with a smile.

Ginny marveled at her friend's words and smiled. She was right; if she were pregnant, she would very easily be able to get excited about carrying Harry's child. Now she would just have to wait and see.

**Author's Note: **Hello all, so I'm _still_ waiting on the files for the design job I'm doing. In the mean time I've been slowing working on this chapter. It took me somewhere a bit different than where I expected, but I like it just the same. Don't jump to conclusions about where this is going though….

Thanks to Terra Ferme, my beta for such a quick turn around on the editing of this chapter!

Thank you for reading and please send me your comments, criticism or ideas if you have any. Thanks again!


	32. Trials

It had been three days since Harry had left on his Auror mission with Noah. Ginny was struggling to live life as normal without him. The longer he was gone, the more uneasy she became; it was maddening not knowing where Harry was or what condition he might be in. It was how she'd had to live the entire last year; now that the war was over it seemed unfair that it continue. Not knowing whether or not she might be pregnant wasn't helping to ease her stress either. She sat on the couch in front of the roaring fire. A very large stack of homework was sitting in front of her, but like most times when she was worried about something, she had opted for her knitting instead. In the hopes that she _wasn't_ pregnant, she was working on some mittens. She wasn't sure who she was making them for, but as long as her hands and head were busy, she worried less.

While Flitwick's question at the beginning of class the first morning of term had gone a long way to dispel rumors about where Harry was, it had worn off by this morning. She had ventured down to breakfast with Ron and Hermione and, as they passed the Slytherin table, she overheard a conversation that was clearly intended for her ears.

"She's alone again," one Slytherin boy whispered loudly to his neighbor.

"Yeah, I guess now that Potter's had her, he's moved on," the other student said.

Ginny tried to pretend she hadn't heard. Hermione made a noise of disgust and Ron lunged at the table, prepared to fight the pair. Before a single hex could be cast, Pansy rose from her seat and approached. "What a stupid thing to say, how thick are you?" she scathingly asked the pair of students. "Everyone knows that Potter is an Auror. He's out on a mission and I'd bet he's just as miserable without her as she is without him."

"What makes you think that?" one of the boys scoffed.

"Any one with the gift of sight can see the way they look at one another. I don't know of another couple who looks more in love than they do," Pansy explained.

"Because you spend _so_ much time with the Potters," Draco said dryly, from further down the table.

"Well, yeah, I spend a lot more time with them than I ever used to," Pansy said, "I actually went to their wedding with Seamus. It was beautiful."

"Thank you Pansy," Ginny said quietly.

"I still can't believe you're dating that git," Draco drawled.

"Why not? Because he doesn't treat me like a piece of worthless trash, like you used to, Draco? You know, some girls like to date boys who treat them like they matter," Pansy said.

Draco had the good grace to blush. He returned to his breakfast without another word.

Flashing a quick smile of gratitude at Pansy, Ginny followed Ron and Hermione to the Gryffindor table.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry woke with a start. Every morning of this mission when he'd woken on the cold, hard floor of the tent in a sleeping bag, he'd had to remind himself of where he was. He was cold, tired, hungry and, most of all, he missed Ginny. He had always known that being an Auror could be grueling work, but he'd still always longed for the job. However, after waking every morning of this mission feeling like this, he couldn't remember why he'd wanted this so badly. Yes, he enjoyed having a hand in rounding up death-eaters and other wizard scum out there, but when the price was being miserable and without Ginny, he wasn't sure it was worth it anymore.

"You awake, Potter?" Noah asked, from the other side of the small tent.

"Yeah," Harry replied groggily.

"Don't sound so enthusiastic," Noah said.

Harry remained silent. He thought back to the weeks right after the final battle when he had two options before him; return to school or become an auror. He's chosen option three, both. He remembered how Headmistress McGonagall had strongly urged him to return to school and finish his education. He might find that the auror path was not as appealing as it once was. Maybe she had been right. One of his reasons for becoming an auror had always been to make the world a better place for those he loved to live in. He wanted any children that he and Ginny were lucky enough to have not to have to grow up in the dark and dangerous time they had. But, what kind of father would he be if in the pursuit of giving them a better life he got himself killed and left Ginny to raise them on her own? His mind worried over the knowledge that in their haste three days prior, they might have conceived a child long before either of them felt ready. Despite how premature this development might be, he knew he wanted to be there for their child and wouldn't risk the chance that he might not be.

"You fall back asleep?" Noah asked.

"No," Harry said. "Just thinking."

"About whether or not you really want this job after all?" Noah asked.

"How did you know?" Harry asked.

"I've seen the signs," Noah explained. "You had a lot more passion for this six months ago."

"Back then, I felt like it was my duty or mission to be here chasing death eaters," Harry said. "Now I feel like my duty lies with Ginny. I can't help but think about how much I miss her and how much I must be letting her down when I'm away."

"There's no shame in calling it quits," Noah said. "Plenty of people have walked away from this job."

"I am not a quitter," Harry said firmly.

"I don't think anyone would look at it that way," Noah said. "You already saved the wizarding world from Voldemort. Maybe you tried out being an auror and decided it wasn't for you. It doesn't mean that you're quitting."

"I would know that it was exactly that," Harry said.

"But you'd be wrong," Noah argued. "In my opinion, that's one of your greatest faults."

"What is?" Harry asked.

"You're too hard on yourself and you're always trying to live up to what you think others expect of you. When are you going to live your life for you? When this mission is over and you go back home to your wife, I want you to think about what you want out of life. If being an auror isn't it, then you are doing everyone a disservice by trying to pretend that it is."

"Okay," Harry agreed.

"Alright then," Noah said. "Let's get a move on. I'd prefer not to sleep in this tent again tonight; it's cold, ruddy uncomfortable and you talk in your sleep, Potter."

Harry flushed and said, "Oh, I wasn't aware of that. I mean, I used to when I had dreams that weren't really dreams at all but glimpses into Voldemort's head; but I had no idea I talked when I wasn't connected to him. What did I talk about?"

"Ginny," Noah said uncomfortably.

Harry's flush deepened and he said, "Oh, well, I hope you silencioed me."

"I did," Noah said, "but as soon as I'd fall asleep, it would wear off and you'd start talking and wake me up all over again."

"Sorry," Harry said, mortified at the thought of what exactly he might have said.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ginny sat knitting in front of the fire in her and Harry's dorm. She had missed two classes but just couldn't be bothered about it. There just had to be a way to find out if she was pregnant or not. If she had to wait two more weeks to find out, she would just go mad. She was a witch after all, there had to be some magical means to getting the answer. She wondered if Madame Pomfrey would know and dismissed the idea immediately; outside of Harry and Hermione, she didn't want anyone to have even an inkling that she suspected that she could be pregnant.

She heard a light knocking on the door and, before she even rose to open it, knew that it would be Hermione coming to see why she hadn't been in her last two classes. Rather than get up from her warm nest of blankets on the couch, Ginny flicked her wand at the door to let Hermione in.

"Ginny," Hermione scolded as she closed the door behind her. "What if I had been an unknown assailant? You just opened the door without checking to see who it was."

"I knew it was you," Ginny responded.

"How would you know that?" Hermione asked.

"I missed two classes this morning, aren't you here to shame me for skipping class?" Ginny asked shortly.

"No, actually, based on the things you have going on right now, I completely understand just wanting to shut yourself up in here," Hermione said, sounding a bit hurt. "I was coming to see how you were doing. I thought you might like a little company."

Ginny looked away from her work and at Hermione for the first time since she'd entered the room and said, "I'm sorry. I'm not in a very good mood. You're just being a friend and checking in on me and I bit your head off."

"It's alright, Ginny," Hermione said. "I understand."

"Thanks," Ginny said. She looked back at her knitting but in a calm voice asked, "Do you know of any magical ways that we could find out right now if I'm pregnant or not?"

"Hmmmmm," Hermione said thoughtfully. "There has to be one. I suppose you have no idea how healers at St. Mungo's check for pregnancy or you wouldn't be asking me."

"There are lots of people I could ask about that; Madame Pomfrey, Mum, possibly Fleur, but outside of you and Harry, I don't want any one to know about this," Ginny said.

"Well, let me do a little research and I'll let you know if I find a solution," Hermione said.

"Thank you so much, Hermione," Ginny said.

"Don't mention it," Hermione said. "You'd do the same for me. Besides, it might be a handy little trick to know someday."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Ginny asked with a grin.

"No, I'm just saying that someday when Ron and I are married, it might be convenient to be able to find out in the comfort of our home whether or not a baby is on the way," Hermione said.

"Ah," Ginny said. "Just checking."

"Not that it is any of your business but we are _very_ careful in that department," Hermione said.

"Unlike Harry and me," Ginny added miserably. "Suddenly the phrase, 'It only takes one time,' has so much more meaning."

"Don't be hard on yourself, I'm sure everyone forgets sometime," Hermione said. "You just need a failsafe way to remind yourself not to forget it again."

"I'm thinking of making a cross stitch sampler to hang above the bed that says something along the lines of, 'Don't shag until you've taken your potion,' but you know, rhyming and cutesy," Ginny said sarcastically.

Hermione laughed and said, "Do you want to have lunch with me and then we can go to the library? The sooner we have an answer for you, the sooner you can either get out of this funk or start dealing with the news."

Ginny thought before saying, "If you don't mind, I'm just going to make myself some lunch here and keep hiding out. I'm afraid of whose head I'll bite off next in this mood."

"Not a problem," Hermione said. "I'll just go fetch Ron from next door."

"Not a word to Ron," Ginny warned.

"My lips are sealed," Hermione said, before miming locking her lips with an imaginary key.

After Hermione left, Ginny continued to sit and knit for a while, stopping occasionally to watch the falling snow outside the castle. Eventually, she got up and made herself some lunch which she ate at the table while she forced herself to tackle some of the mountain of homework. Several hours later, while Ginny was mid-way through writing a potions essay for Slughorn, the dog tags around her neck burned. She pulled them from beneath her sweater and read, "_Hey Gin, How are things? Love, H_."

She quickly replied with, _"Hey, missing you and wishing I knew if I was pregnant."_

"_I miss you too, so much." _Harry replied.

"_Hermione is helping me find out if there is a magical way to check for pregnancy," _Ginny wrote back.

"_Well, if there is an answer, Hermione will find it," _Harry said.

"_I hope so. Between missing you and worrying, I've just been staying holed up in our dorm," _Ginny wrote.

"_Knitting?" _Harry asked.

"_Mostly, but I did force myself to start some homework a few hours ago," _Ginny said.

"_I'm hoping to get home late tonight, but it is snowing really hard where we are and it is interfering with our mission," _Harry explained.

"_Whenever you get back, I'll be here," _Ginny wrote.

"_I hope to see you soon. Love, Harry," _he wrote.

"_Me too. Love you, Gin." _She replied.

She returned the dog tags to beneath her sweater and moodily went back to her essay. She was glad to hear from him, but knowing that they still had to wait to be together again, darkened her mood. When he got back, she was going to ask how serious he was about being an auror. Maybe she was reading into it, but his messages seemed a little down. Maybe he was having doubts too. She wondered what he would do if he wasn't an auror. He could play quidditch professionally like she planned to, except he'd already explained to her why he'd never consider that. Maybe he could get a job as some sort of coach or assistant to whatever team she got onto. She supposed that Harry wouldn't actually have to work. He had a lot of money in his vault, and if she was getting paid, he could just stay home. She laughed out loud at that; Harry was the least likely of all the people she knew to be content to stay at home and do nothing. She'd have to think about what other options he had.

She finished three more homework assignments before Hermione returned with a large book tucked under her arm and a proud look on her beaming face.

"You found it?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"I found a reference that gave me an opening to go and ask Madame Pomfrey without seeming suspicious," Hermione explained. "I told her I was writing an essay about how medical practices differ between magical and muggle healers and that, more specifically, I was writing about pregnancy and childbirth. In the book I found, they talk about a particular kind of stone that can be used to detect pregnancy but they didn't go into further detail. I went to Madame Pomfrey and asked her if she knew anything about this stone and how it was used."

"Did she?" Ginny asked anxiously.

Hermione grinned and pulled a oddly flat, greenish-tinged, semi-transparent stone from her pocket and held it in front of Ginny before saying, "I feel a bit guilty that I made up the assignment because she seemed really pleased that I thought to go and ask her about it. She explained how to use the stone in great detail and even let me borrow the stone so I could draw a picture of it for my report."

"So," Ginny said, "what are we waiting for."

"What if I do everything she told me and it doesn't work or worse yet, what if I do it and get the wrong answer?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sure someone as smart as you can't screw this up, how hard can it be?" Ginny asked. "Besides, it not like you can harm me in any way by trying, is there?"

"No, I did ask if it was dangerous if done incorrectly. She said no and then added that many years ago, families kept these rocks and performed the test on themselves. It went out of fashion when healers, in an attempt to make more money, insisted that their results were more accurate than a test you could perform at home. It's the same test though."

"Okay then, what do we do first?" Ginny asked.

"Let's go into your room," Hermione suggested, "you need to lie down."

Ginny led the way into the bedroom and cast a spell at the fireplace as she entered relighting the fire. She shooed Ember off of her pillow and lie down on her back. "Now what?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I need to lay the stone just above your pubic bone, if you pull your shirt up a bit and roll your pants down a bit…," Hermione instructed. "Yes, like that." She set the stone on Ginny's flat lower abdomen and said, "Now I say the incantation and tap the stone once. If the stone glows steadily, you are pregnant and if it lights up but stutters and flickers, you aren't."

"What kind of stone is this?" Ginny asked.

"Madame Pomfrey wasn't clear about that herself. She couldn't remember if the stone was specially treated to make it work for this purpose or if it came from someplace magical," Hermione said.

"Is this going to hurt?" Ginny asked.

"No," Hermione said.

"Can you do the test more than once to be sure?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey said it will not hurt the mother or child if the test is repeated," Hermione said.

"And we're sure that the stone can tell this early on?" Ginny asked. "I don't have to wait until I've missed my period or anything?"

"Nope, she said it could detect accurately within just a couple hours of conception," Hermione said, "Are you ready?"

Ginny drew in a breath and said, "Yes."

Hermione drew out her wand and held it just above the stone. In a serious voice, she said, "_deprehensio fetus_," and lightly tapped the stone. Both stared nervously at the stone. Ginny's breath caught audibly as the stone light up and remained lit for three seconds before it flickered and went out for another second before lighting up again. After that, it stuttered and flickered randomly and Hermione said, "Definitely not pregnant then. Should I congratulate you?"

Ginny laughed before her face fell and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Is it weird that I'm happy and sad at the same time?"

Hermione pulled Ginny into a sitting position and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Not at all. You okay?"

"I'm happy because we didn't want a baby yet. This means I can still play quidditch professionally, but at the same time, as I worried over the last three days, I had a lot of time to think about what it would have been like. It would have been an adjustment, but we would have been fine," Ginny said.

"You guys have your whole lives ahead of you and plenty of time to have babies," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed. "Thank you for your help, Hermione."

"You're welcome," Hermione said as she hugged Ginny, "Any time."

"Well, let's hope this isn't an issue again," Ginny said.

"You know what I mean," Hermione said. "You can always come to me with problems, I'm happy to help. Can I be sappy for a minute?" Ginny nodded and Hermione continued, "You know that Ron and Harry have been my best friends since we started at Hogwarts, but you are my best girl friend. I'm always going to be here for you."

Ginny smiled and said, "Hermione you are my best girl friend too. You can always come to me too."

"Just out of curiosity, who is your all time best friend?" Hermione asked.

"Harry," Ginny said happily. "Who else?"

Hermione grinned and asked, "Speaking of Harry, have you heard from him? Any idea when he'll be back?"

"He's hoping to be back tonight, but the snow is pretty bad where he is and its interfering with their work," Ginny said.

"Are you waiting for me to leave so you can send him a message?" Hermione asked.

"Kind of, but first, how accurate do you think the test is?" Ginny asked.

"Madame Pomfrey said one hundred percent," Hermione said. "But if it would make you feel better, I'll do it again."

"Just once more?" Ginny pleaded.

Three more negative tests later, Ginny was satisfied and let Hermione go. Ginny settled herself back on the couch and pulled out her dog tags. She was midway through writing a message when Harry burst through the door, still brushing snow from his hair.

"You're back," Ginny yelled, as she leapt over the arm of the couch to launch herself into his arms.

"Whoa, careful," Harry cried, as he gently hugged her before letting his hand come to rest on her abdomen.

"I'm not pregnant," Ginny said. "I was just about to send you a message to let you know."

"Thank Merlin," Harry breathed. "I don't know about you, but I was panicked. I am not ready for kids yet."

"Me too," Ginny agreed. "Mostly I was relieved but there was a tiny part of me that was sad too. After thinking about what it would be like for the last three days, part of me wanted it."

"Someday," Harry promised.

"Yes, someday," Ginny agreed.

Harry bent to kiss her, but before they could get too deeply entwined, Ginny disengaged and ran toward the bedroom saying, "Stay there, I'll be right back." When she returned, she handed him a vial of the contraceptive potion and said, "Please drink this before our reunion moves any further." Harry grinned but willingly downed the potion.

"Now where were we?" Harry asked, as he moved toward Ginny.

"How about a shower?" Ginny asked.

"You don't like how I smell after three days sleeping in a tent with no shower?" Harry asked, trying to sound offended.

"No, not so much," Ginny teased. "Come on, it'll thaw you out and I'll scrub your back."

"Okay," Harry agreed. "but after the shower, we need to talk. I've been doing some thinking."

"Me too," Ginny said.

**Author's Note:** Hi All! I hope you've missed me (and my story) as much as I missed all of you. I love doing my design work but it certainly does leave me little time for the other things in my life that I love. Thanks for not overwhelming me with reviews asking for an update – it would have made it that much harder to be away. I will eventually have some edits to do to the book I was working on, but, like me, the author is a bit wordy and either pages have to be added or text has to be cut so I'm on stand by at the moment. However, the edits shouldn't take nearly as much time as the first part of the designing did so hopefully another absence is not in my future.

Thanks to my beta, Terra Ferme for doing the betaing on this chapter, your quick work, as always is appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who let me know how they felt about whether or not Ginny should be pregnant after the last chapter. No worries – I was never going to have her pregnant this early on, or by mistake. I have lots more adventures I want to write for them before kids come into the picture. This little scare was a something to move us toward another plot point. No guessing – just sit back and enjoy the ride. They will be discussing 'things' in the next chapter – just so you don't worry that I'm going to gloss over that part.

Thank you to Lyric Medlie who read and reviewed almost every chapter in my story within the last week and a half – it really inspired me to hurry up and get another chapter out here. I loved hearing from you and everyone owes you a big thanks!

Let me know how I'm doing – I love hearing from people. If you have ideas, send them. It honestly inspires me to keep the story going.

Thanks Everyone!

Tink


	33. Confessions

Nearly two hours had passed since Harry had returned home and still their conversation loomed. While each was anxious to talk about the things they'd thought about and come to some decisions on during their time apart, each was slightly wary about voicing those opinions to the other. What if they didn't agree? After a long hot shower, Ginny fixed Harry dinner before dragging him into their bedroom. She claimed that she'd meant for them to talk before giving into their urges, but Harry didn't remember a conversation ever starting before they found themselves naked in bed together. Now sated and longing to just remain in the warm bed with Ginny in his arms, Harry had to force himself up. He pulled on clean clothes and threw some at Ginny as well and said, "Get dressed."

"Why?" Ginny asked brazenly as she sat up in bed, stretching, yawning and giving Harry a marvelous view.

Harry smirked at Ginny, bed-headed and still very naked and said, "Because I won't be able to concentrate on our conversation if you don't cover up. You are entirely too tempting after three days apart."

"I thought I was entirely too tempting all the time," Ginny replied sassily.

"You are, but even more so since I was forced to be separated from my new bride for three whole days," Harry said.

"Not to mention the nights," Ginny added with a grin.

"Stop taunting me and get dressed," Harry said with a laugh.

Ginny pulled on her clothes and followed Harry back out to their sitting area in front of the fire. They settled on the couch so they were facing each other and Ginny watched him as he alternately ran his hands through his hair and rubbed absently at a scar on the back his hand. Wanting to put him at ease, Ginny took his hands in her own and said, "Just tell me. We might be thinking the same things."

Harry smiled softy at her, drew in a deep breath and asked, "What would you think if I said I wasn't sure I wanted to be an Auror anymore?"

"First, I would jump up and down and scream with delight. Then, I would tell you that I only want you to do things that make you happy and if being an Auror isn't making you happy then you should find something else to do," Ginny said. "Why, do you think you want to quit being an Auror?"

"Yes, well…I don't know," Harry fumbled. "Part of me still has a very deep draw to the job; but this time, while I was out on the mission I was miserable the entire time. That isn't to say that next time I wouldn't enjoy it again. All I could think about was how we are newlyweds and we're supposed to be together, so what was I doing in this freezing cold tent with Noah? Then I thought about all the other events that will happen in our marriage that I don't want to miss because I'm out on a mission. I don't want to miss any birthdays or anniversaries or any of our children being born or taking their first steps or saying their first words because I'm off chasing bad guys. I may have thought I wanted to be an Auror to keep making the world a safer place for those that I love, but what good is it if I am too busy to actually spend time with my loved ones? I had a hand in vanquishing the worst of the bad guys, maybe that's enough." He was quiet for a moment before adding, "I can't stomach the idea that I could get killed out a mission leaving you to raise our family on your own. I know all too well what it is to grow up with out parents; I don't want that for our children. I want to be with you forever and sometimes even that doesn't feel like long enough."

"You just voiced every worry I've had over the last three days," Ginny said miserably. "You've gone on missions before, but this time felt different. This time, because you're my husband, I was that much more worried that I'd never see you again. I was sick with worry. It was miserable."

"So you wouldn't mind if I decided to give it up?" Harry asked sounding surprised.

"Not at all, why would you even think that I would?" Ginny asked. "I mean, if it was making you happy to be an Auror I would do my best to put on a brave face and support your decision, but I'd be miserable the whole time. I love the idea of you not being an Auror, of not being in constant danger…"

"I thought you might see me as a quitter or cowardly. Hermione seemed to think that my being the heroic type was part of my appeal for you," Harry said.

"Harry, you will always be the heroic type even if you quit being an Auror," Ginny reassured him. Then carefully, she confessed, "Over the last three days I tried to think of how I could ask you to give up being an Auror. I felt like there was a hint of doubt or unhappiness in the messages you sent me and I could only hope that you realized too that our marriage is going to suffer too much if we're always apart. I can't live the rest of my life in constant fear of whether or not you're coming back to me. I felt like it would be unfair of me to ask and so I'm overjoyed that you suggested it first."

"I'm so glad that you are okay with me giving it up. Now I feel like I can really consider some of the alternatives I came up with," Harry said brightly.

"What have you come up with so far?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Well, I could follow you around and be your groupie," Harry suggested with a wink.

"And my sex slave," Ginny teased back. "But seriously, what are you thinking?"

Harry ruffled his hair some more, indicating to Ginny that he was nervous about sharing his idea. Eventually he stopped fidgeting and said, "I was thinking about asking McGonagall if I could teach all the DA classes full time next year."

"That's a great idea, Harry," Ginny said. "You're such a natural at teaching, especially when it something you are so passionate about. Plus, maybe teaching defense against the dark arts will help you feel like you are contributing in some small way to the war against evil."

"I'd never thought of it that way," Harry said. "I just reckoned I was kind of okay at it."

"You're amazing at it," Ginny said encouragingly. "I've learned more this year in your class than I ever have before."

"You realize if she says yes we'll be living here during the school years?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Yeah," Ginny said, "I think it would be kind of amazing to live here as an adult. Besides, I can come and go from here for my Quidditch practices and matches and we can live at Grimmauld Place in the summers. As long as we're together and we're both happy, I don't care where we are."

"You're amazing, do you know that?" Harry asked as he pulled her toward him and settled her on his lap.

"I know," Ginny said happily as she snuggled into his embrace. "Are there any other plans you've been thinking about?"

"Well, even though I'm going to ask to be taken off of active duty as an Auror I'm going to continue my training because Noah and Kingsley have been talking about stationing an Auror here at Hogwarts full time for added security. I'm going to suggest it be me if I'm already going to be here as a teacher," Harry said. "Then they don't have to sacrifice a real Auror from the front lines."

"Perfect," Ginny said. "Then you get to keep being an Auror in some small way."

"Yeah," Harry said. He was quiet again as he held her in his arms. Finally he asked, "What do you want to do next year if you don't get onto a professional quidditch team?"

"Are you doubting my skills Potter?" Ginny asked incredulously with a jab to his chest.

"Ouch, not at all," Harry said. "Those scouts are blind and completely mental if they can't see how talented you are. I'm just saying in the off chance that it doesn't happen, what would you want to do?"

"I don't know," Ginny said. "Sleep, knit, eat lots of chocolate, be _your_ sex slave…"

"I meant once you were past the phase of mourning the loss of your Quidditch career," Harry said with a laugh.

"Maybe I could be an apprentice for Madame Pomfrey and then one day when she decides to retire I could take over," Ginny mused. "Or maybe Madame Hootch is thinking of retiring soon, I could take over reffing the Quidditch matches and teaching all the first years how to fly."

"Or Hagrid," Harry suggested in jest. "You could be responsible for keeping the next generation of trouble makers out of the Forbidden Forrest."

Ginny swatted him with her hand and laughed, "Can you imagine me trying to do Hagrid's job? No thanks."

"I didn't mean you had to think of something you could do at Hogwarts, I just meant in general, if you don't play Quidditch what would you like to do?" Harry asked seriously.

"I am interested in healing. After learning a bit about it last year I can see myself doing that as a career," Ginny said, "I would enjoy working at St. Mungo's and healing wizards."

"So the Madame Pomfrey idea was serious," Harry stated. "Good. I'm glad to know there are options. I want you to be happy too."

"I am happier than I've ever been in my life," Ginny said. "Mostly because of you."

"Me too," Harry said huskily as his fingers began to trace a pattern onto her upper thigh. "Anything else we need to discuss before I take you back to bed?"

"Babies," Ginny said bluntly.

"I thought you said you weren't pregnant," Harry said nervously as he eyed her abdomen and quickly withdrew his hand from her thigh.

"I'm not," Ginny said. "But after this little scare I think we need to talk discuss our actual timeline for kids. Then, we both need to be extra vigilant from now on about taking the potion until we reach that time."

"You've given this a lot of thought," Harry said somberly.

"Well, I had three days of worrying without you here to worry with me," Ginny said. "I'm pretty sure I covered every pro and con in my head many times over and at this point in our lives the cons outweigh the pros."

"I'd like to hear some of these pros and cons," Harry insisted.

"Okay," Ginny agreed. "Pros first. Babies are cute and cuddly and how could we not dearly love a little creature that we made together out of love? And now the cons, I want to play Quidditch professionally and I can't do that if we get pregnant right now. We're way too young to start a family and mostly, I'm not ready to share you, even with our children."

"That was your whole list?" Harry asked with an amused expression.

"No, those were the most important points," Ginny said. "Oh I forgot a very important con. Fleur will be furious if we have a child before she and Bill do."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Haven't you noticed how competitive she is?" Ginny asked.

"Well, yeah, but I had no idea that people could be competitive about something like having a baby," Harry said.

"I'm just not ready yet and that is all that really matters," Ginny said.

"What would we have done if you were pregnant?" Harry asked interestedly.

"We would have accepted it and moved on with our lives. When the baby was born, we would have loved him or her with all of our hearts and it wouldn't matter that they had been unplanned," Ginny said firmly, conflicting emotions clear upon her face.

Awed by her words and the obvious thought and emotion she had invested in this while he was away, he pulled her tight against his chest and whispered, "I'm so sorry I was not here to deal with all of this with you. Next time, I promise that I will be."

"Hopefully next time we are in this situation, we will actually be wishing for a baby," Ginny said.

"Either way, I'll be there," Harry promised.

Ginny repositioned herself on Harry's lap so that she straddled him. She buried her face in his shoulder and let all the fear and worry out in a wave of tears. It had been an emotionally taxing three days and finally it was over. Harry just let Ginny cry as he held her, stroking her hair and rubbing her back. In the past, he was not good with girls crying and was thankful that Ginny was not terribly prone to tears, but tonight he understood that this is what she needed to do to get it out of her system. He understood that along with the elation of not being pregnant, there was a certain measure of sadness too and she needed to grieve. He was also a bit sad too, for now, let go of the images in his head of he and Ginny with a baby.

When she stopped crying, she was utterly still for several moments and Harry wondered if she'd fallen asleep. He was about to ask her when he felt her lips against his neck and her hands threading into his hair to hold him in place. Her lips made their way to his and he eagerly kissed her back. He rose off the couch with a firm grip under Ginny's bottom. She wrapped her legs around him and moved her lips back to his neck so he could maneuver them into their bedroom. "Gin, weren't we supposed to set some sort of timeline for having kids so that none of this would happen again?" Harry asked mischievously, he already felt certain of what her response would be.

"We'll figure it out later. Just shut-up and kiss me Harry," Ginny demanded as she impeded all further conversation by kissing him roughly.

Harry needed no further invitation. He settled himself on the edge of their bed and lay back, letting Ginny remain on top. She pulled away from him and removed the shirt that she hadn't bothered to put a bra on beneath. "Merlin, I missed you," Harry groaned as he reached for her.

"What, you've missed me since we made love an hour ago?" Ginny asked saucily.

"That too, but I meant while I was gone," Harry said. "Did I tell you that Noah said I talked about you in my sleep every night?"

Ginny blushed and asked, "Do I want to know what you had to say about me in your sleep?"

"He wouldn't even repeat it to me, so I'm guessing not," Harry said.

"Poor Noah," Ginny laughed.

"Poor me," Harry said as his hands explored the expanses of her bare chest. "For missing out on this for the last three nights."

"Harry," Ginny said as she slid her hands beneath his shirt.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Shut-up and make love to me," Ginny insisted.

"Yes Dear," Harry said with a grin.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

The next morning when Harry woke up with Ginny sleeping half on top of him he could only smile, despite how numb his right arm felt. As he lay there waking up and recalling their conversation from the night before, he knew that he was making the right decision. He wanted to wake up with Ginny every morning and go to bed with her every night. He didn't feel that giving up being an Auror was a sacrifice when it was to be with his wife. He had some business to attend to as soon as possible. As carefully as he could, he rolled out from beneath Ginny. He took a quick shower and pulled on a clean school uniform. It was quite early in the morning still but he felt sure that Headmistress McGonagall would be awake. While he doubted that Ginny would wake up before he returned, he wrote her a note and left it on his pillow. Quietly, he left their suite and walked toward McGonagall's office. As he walked the quiet hallways, he imagined what it might be like to live here next year as a teacher. He wasn't sure how his request would be met, but he was surprised to find just how excited he was about the plan.

He approached the gargoyle, which simply nodded and moved aside. He rode the spiral stairs upward and knocked quietly on the door when he reached it. "Come in, Potter," he heard from within. He shook his head with a small smile and wondered if maybe when he was a teacher she would tell him how she did that.

"Good morning Headmistress McGonagall," Harry said brightly.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter. I'm glad to see you've returned from your Auror mission," she said.

"Thank you. Do you have time to discuss something with me?" Harry asked.

"Absolutely," she replied and gestured for him to take a seat.

Harry smiled at her and said, "You gave me some very wise advice after the battle last year about returning to school and making sure that I really wanted to be an Auror before I jumped into it full time."

"Yes, I remember that," she said curiously. "And…"

"And, I am hoping that if you still need a teacher to take on the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes next year, that you'll consider me," Harry said nervously.

"You no longer wish to be an Auror?" McGonagall asked in reply.

"I have a strong draw to the job, but no. I won't be happy in a job that takes me away from my wife and puts my safe return to her in jeopardy. I have come to really love teaching the DA class this year. It challenges me in a way I hadn't expected and it also supplies me with a way of standing up against evil, even if it can't be as an Auror. Will you have me?" He asked.

"Harry, Hogwarts will be lucky to have you remain within its walls as a teacher," Minerva said, beaming. "Yes, Harry, the job is yours."

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Really," she replied. "You are one of the best teachers we've had in the subject for years and based on the test scores coming out of your class, you clearly have a way with students."

"Thank you," Harry said exuberantly. "You won't be sorry."

"Not a chance," She said with a smile. "Now, you really should go and wake your wife and tell her the good news."

"I will. Thank you again," Harry said as he turned and quickly left the office.

He smiled happily as he hurried back to their dorm. He was going to be a teacher. He hadn't felt more certain about anything since realizing that Ginny was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

**Author's Note:** Hey Everyone,

First off, huge apologizes for the amount of time that has passed since my last update. I am hoping to get back onto a more regular schedule of posting now that some things have changed for me.

Second, I know that not everyone will be thrilled with the direction I decided to take things. No, this isn't cannon, but you know what? My story stopped being canon all the way back in chapter 3 (I think) when Harry and Ron decided to go back to Hogwarts. While it seems that my story has stayed fairly close to canon otherwise, that was never really my intention. Mostly, I just want to write what I think should happen…not how I think J.K. would have written it. This is fun for me and I'm still enjoying writing it. If this is no longer fun for you because of the direction this chapter is taking us then feel free to stop reading, there are many stories out there that continue on the Auror path. My story is about love and I believe that married couples make sacrifices for one another and this is one that I strongly believe that Harry would make to be with the woman he loves. Okay – rant over.

Third, this chapter was not beta'ed. My beta's computer is sick. Everyone send healing thoughts to TerraFerme's computer…please! Rather than make you all wait or try to find a guest beta, I decided to post anyway. I reread it very carefully several times but I'm sure there are still some errors – I have the hardest time editing my own stuff – I know what it is supposed to say and read it as such, even when it is wrong. Sorry.

Anyway – if you are still with me, let me know what you think? How do you feel about my direction? Do you have any awesome ideas that would go along with this storyline?

Most of all, thanks for reading! I have the best readers – really I do.

Thanks!

Tinkerbell


	34. Interruptions

The pregnancy scare had been two weeks ago, but it felt more like two months. Life had remained as busy as ever. Despite sharing a suite of rooms as husband and wife, there remained precious little time to be alone together. Between classes and homework, Quidditch practice and games, prefect duties, Harry's teaching duties and his Auror training, most nights they fell into bed utterly exhausted. It had been three days since they'd managed even a quickie in lieu of breakfast before classes. Harry almost longed for the days before they were married, when they didn't know what they were missing. He was aching to have time to spend with her, so much so he was considering blowing off patrol duty tonight and taking her into a broom cupboard to have his way with her. That or using his time turner on both of them to squeeze in an extra hour somewhere, but he was pretty sure that going back in time to shag with his wife was on the list of prohibited uses of the time turner.

They had just finished a grueling tactical training session with their Quidditch team in preparation for the big match on Saturday. As Harry stood in the warm spray of the shower, letting the pounding water work out a kink in his neck, he thought about the changes that had occurred in the last two weeks. After being granted the DADA teaching position for next school year, he had met with Kingsley, Reed, and Noah to explain to them his decision to quit pursuing a career as an Auror and his suggestion that he become the on-site Auror at Hogwarts. They were understandably upset to be losing one of their most promising recruits, but fully understood and respected his decision to give it up. They agreed that he would continue his training in order to qualify to become the on-site Auror at Hogwarts, but took him off of active Auror missions. Ginny had been beyond thrilled when he had told her about everything. For now, his new roles and the fact that he was no longer working toward becoming a full-fledged Auror, were secrets. McGonagall and Kingsley had both insisted that, for now, things be kept under wraps and Harry was happy to comply; it gave him an excuse not to tell Ron or Hermione about his decision to quit. Ginny had been urging him to tell them; they would not see him as a quitter and, like her, would just want him to be happy and safe. Harry wasn't so sure though. He had been through a lot with Ron and Hermione, they knew what he was capable of and, perhaps to them, it would feel like he was giving up and settling down. He didn't want them to see him like that.

His eyes snapped open in alarm as he heard the rings of his shower curtain rasp against the bar. Ginny, in an indecently short towel, had let herself into his stall. As she hung her towel over the bar, she explained, "When I finished my shower, I realized that we were the only two left in here and I thought you might need me to scrub your back."

"Only if by scrubbing my back you mean letting me have my way with you," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Obviously," Ginny said, as she pressed her slick body against his. His hands and mouth wandered her body leisurely, sure that they had hours alone in the locker room if they wanted it. She moaned in response and wrapped her hand around him. He couldn't help but smile a little. It was one of the little things Ginny did that he had come to enjoy a lot. While he was busy pleasing her, she would simply hold him. Her hold would grow a bit tighter when he was doing something she really liked and would loosen when it wasn't as pleasurable for her. He was unsure if she had any idea that she did this, but he used it as sort of a physical meter to measure how well he was doing and adjust accordingly. He'd been nearly ready to back her up against the shower wall and take her when Harry heard footsteps in the locker room. He froze instantly and whispered in Ginny's ear, "Someone's in here."

"Harry?" Ron's voice called. "Are you still in here?"

Ginny groaned in agitation before saying, "Yes, Ronald, Harry and I are still in here." The footsteps sounded like they were getting closer when Ginny added, "Naked."

They heard Ron groan and curse under his breath before saying, "Don't you two have a bedroom somewhere in the castle?"

Harry was mortified into silence, but Ginny hadn't run out of things to say, "For your information, Ronald, a bedroom doesn't do anyone a lot of good if they're too busy to use it. We were taking advantage of the opportunity that presented itself."

"Well, next time it'd better present itself in your bedroom," Ron threatened.

"Or what?" Ginny asked mockingly. "You'll tell Mum?"

"Yeah, maybe," Ron said.

"Fine. If you do, I'll tell Mum about all the places you and Hermione have been caught going at it," Ginny said.

"Name one," Ron challenged, sounding a bit nervous.

"The flowering bush below Ravenclaw Tower," Ginny reminded him.

"Yeah, that's just one," Ron said sheepishly.

"The Slytherin Common Room," Harry added.

"Harry," Ron cried in surprise. "You can't side with my sister against me."

"If the sides are you or your sister, I'll pick your sister every time," Harry explained.

"That is so unfair," Ron whined. "You were my best mate before you were her husband; how can you choose her over me?"

"She is amazingly talented in so many different ways," Harry said, as he winked at Ginny and gave her bottom a squeeze. "Besides, I'm worried that if I don't agree with her, I might never get to see her naked ever again."

"Merlin, you two are hopeless," Ron groaned disgustedly. "Listen Harry, when you are finished in there, could you and I have a word?"

"Sure," Harry replied. "Give me a few minutes; you pretty much spoiled the mood for me anyway." Ginny looked at him pleadingly but he just shook his head and said, "Could you really enjoy it knowing your brother could wander back in at any moment?"

"Fine," Ginny grumbled. "But you'd better make time for me tonight, mister."

"I promise," Harry said with one final kiss.

NNNNNNNNNNNNN

Harry met Ron outside the Quidditch locker room as soon as he was dressed and bundled in his winter cloak against the snow and wind.

"Sorry about that mate," Ron said as he fidgeted with something in this cloak pocket.

Surprised at the apology, after all it hadn't felt like so long ago that Ron was berating them for mere snogging sessions, Harry blushed and replied, "It's alright. The locker room clearly isn't the best place for that anyway. It just happened…"

"What did Ginny mean about taking the opportunity when it presented itself? Are the two of you both that busy?" Ron asked. "I thought McGonagall took some things off your plate before the wedding."

"She did, but I'm still busy and Ginny too. I'm not using the time turner as often to give myself more time to accomplish everything," Harry explained. "That in itself is a big step in the right direction."

"So you and Ginny…," Ron trailed off, unsure of how to ask what he wondered.

"Ginny and I haven't…er…found time for one another in three days. It isn't because we don't want to, because, trust me, we do. It's just that we are so busy and by the time we go to bed at night, we're too tired to do anything besides sleep."

"You should use the time turner to buy yourself an extra hour for, uh…that," Ron suggested.

"I have considered it, but the consequences, should it go badly, would be really horrid," Harry said. "Too horrid to even consider."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that," Ron said. He grinned and continued, "I supposed if you got called into the Wizengamot for misuse of your time turner, it would be rather embarrassing to explain that you'd used it so you could shag your wife."

"Utterly mortifying is what it would be," Harry said. "And with my luck, it would end up on the front page of the Daily Prophet, but it would be skewed just a bit to make it sound like Ginny is repulsed by me and that is why I can't get any."

Ron was laughing too hard to respond for a moment. When it had passed, he said, "Merlin, Harry, sometimes you don't know how happy I am not to be you."

Harry had to laugh at that, remembering all the times when they were younger and Ron had been jealous of all the attention Harry got. "I'm glad you can finally see the downside to being Harry Potter," Harry said amiably. "Although these days, it's pretty fantastic."

"Being married is that great?" Ron asked curiously.

"Completely," Harry said. "I've never felt more right about anything in my entire life."

They walked quietly for a while, Harry lost in thought about the scene interrupted in the locker room and Ron thinking about when Hermione might finally agree to marry him or at least become officially engaged instead of just promised. Seeing Harry and Ginny as happy as they were, just made him long for it even more. Deciding not to burden Harry with his unhappiness just now, he asked, "So, any chance your schedule will free up a bit any time soon so you and Gin don't have to resort to getting busy in the locker room after practice?"

Harry, while anxious about how Ron would handle the news, jumped at the chance to tell his best mate about the new developments in his future. "Well, it's funny you should ask that."

"Yeah?" Ron asked intrigued. "What's up?"

"What would you think if I told you that I was no longer training to become an Auror?" Harry asked in a rush.

Ron looked at him and said, "I'd say that you were trying to pull one over on me. I mean…you've been training to be an Auror for over five months now and I know you just had a training session with Noah earlier today."

"Ignore the facts," Harry said. "What would you think?"

"I would be surprised," Ron said. "You've been interested in becoming an Auror since fifth year. You've been training with Noah and you've gone on several missions…what am I missing?"

With a deep sigh, Harry began, "Part of me really wants to be an Auror, but that part has been growing smaller and smaller lately. When I got called out on that last mission right after our honeymoon, I was miserable and Ginny was miserable. Not to mention that she was left to deal with things on her own that she should never have to deal with alone. We both did a lot of thinking and realized that if our marriage is going to survive, I can't be an Auror. Maybe I would have been less miserable if we hadn't _just_ returned from our honeymoon, but as I thought about all the other moments in our life that I don't want to miss out on because I'm away on a dangerous mission, I started to wonder if it was worth it." Harry sighed and removed his hat to run his hand through his hair. "There's a lot of thought that went into this. I am not going to become an Auror after all."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Ron asked. "How long has this been decided?"

"Two weeks," Harry replied.

"But you're still training with Noah?" Ron asked in confusion. "Does he know that you aren't going to become an Auror anymore?"

Harry chuckled and said, "Yes. Kingsley, Reed, Noah, McGonagall, Ginny…they all know. I was afraid to tell you and Hermione."

"Why?" Ron asked in confusion.

"I was worried that you'd think I was giving up, that I was a quitter…" Harry said.

"Don't you know us better than that?" Ron asked. "We only want for you, what is going to make you happiest. If being an Auror isn't it, then we wouldn't want that for you."

"Ginny said that's what you would say. I guess I feel like a quitter and thought that you might think that too," Harry said.

"Nah," Ron said. "Privately, I've always thought you were a bit mental to want that job. It's grueling and, now that you're officially a Weasley, we'd all feel better if you chose a safer career path."

Harry laughed in relief and said, "Well, considering that the job I'm taking up has been considered cursed, I'm not sure I'll be that much safer."

Ron puzzled through the clue Harry has just dropped him before his eyes lit up and he said, "No way, you're going to be a teacher?"

"Yep," Harry said proudly. "I'm going to teach all the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes next year. I secretly suspect that this was McGonagall's plan all along. She told me after the battle that she thought I should come back to school and finish up, maybe there would be something I would want to do more than be an Auror. Then, she offered me the teaching position for the seventh year DADA class, which I've really come to enjoy teaching. When I finally I realized that this is a better fit for me, she was there, ready to give me the job, like she'd been hoping all along that I'd ask for it."

"Why, that sneaky old woman," Ron said with a grin. Then, more seriously, he asked, "But you're happy with your decision, right?"

"Very," Harry said. "And Ginny too."

"Then I'm happy for you," Ron said, "Both of you. But let me ask you a question. Why are you still Auror training with Noah?"

"Well, from now on, there will always be an Auror stationed at Hogwarts. After the battles that have taken place here, it's unsafe for there not to be. This year, it's me and next year, it'll also be me. I'm continuing my training so that I'm as fully prepared to protect the school in the event of an attack as I can be," Harry explained.

"So, in a way, you still get to be an Auror," Ron said. "Cool!"

"Yeah, in a safer way that doesn't take me away from my wife," Harry said with a grin.

"What's Ginny going to do next year while your busy teaching and protecting the school?" Ron asked.

"She's still counting on playing Quidditch professionally," Harry said.

"Any idea when she would find out about her prospects?" Ron asked.

"There are supposed to be several scouts at the next match and we expect them to ask for a meeting with her afterwards," Harry explained.

"Don't you think they'll want to meet with you too?" Ron asked.

"Maybe, but I don't want to play professionally. I've had enough of the fame thing in my life without adding this to it," Harry said. "What are you going to do when school is over?"

"I don't know yet," Ron admitted. "I have to give that some serious thought before school ends. In any case, I'm glad that you and Ginny have things all worked out."

"Thanks," Harry said. They walked along in silence for a while again. Harry realized as they walked just how long it had been since he and Ron had spent any time alone together. "Now that I'm a married man and busier than one person should be, I feel like I hardly get to hang out with you anymore. What's going on with you?"

Ron smiled at him and said, "Besides missing having my best friend to hang out with, I'm frustrated with where my relationship with Hermione is right now."

"Are you guys fighting or something?" Harry asked, trying to remember if he'd noticed that they weren't getting along lately.

"No more than we usually do," Ron said with a smirk. "We just want different things and I don't know how to deal with it."

"She still wants time before you get engaged and married?" Harry guessed.

"Yeah, and I don't. The more I watch you and Ginny, the more I know that I want that. I want to be married. I want to go to bed with her at night and wake up next to her in the morning. I don't understand why she doesn't want that too."

"Have you talked to her about it?" Harry asked.

"No, I know she'll explain all the same things that she did the last time we discussed it. I don't understand how she can want time to be herself more than she wants to get married and settled down," Ron said with a hint of anger.

"You have to remember where she comes from," Harry said carefully. "She grew up in the muggle world. Muggles are a lot more competitive and career driven than magical people are. People don't get married as young as we are. They go to university, get a job, make some money, and then, when they are well established in life, they get married."

"I know, I know," Ron said. "But why can't she do all that and be married to me at the same time? I just don't understand."

"You need to ask her all of these questions again," Harry said. "Maybe she'll have some different answers. Maybe she is watching Ginny and I as well and has changed her mind about needing so much time for herself."

"I hope so," Ron said sullenly.

"Me too," Harry agreed.

Slowly, they were making their way back toward the castle. They discussed Quidditch and classes as they walked. When they finally arrived outside of the heads' dorms, they stopped and faced each other.

"Thanks, this was nice," Harry said. "I'll try to have more time to hang out and stuff."

"That would be nice, but I understand if you're too busy," Ron said. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably before adding, "Hermione and I will take the patrol tonight so that you and Ginny can…uh… have some time alone."

"You don't have to do that," Harry said, embarrassed.

"Yeah, well," Ron muttered. "It's my fault that your time alone got interrupted earlier. It's the least I can do."

"You're trying to stay on Ginny's good side," Harry accused.

"Maybe," Ron said with a smirk. "Besides, Hermione and I could use the time to talk about some things."

"Smart move, Weasley," Harry said.

"Later, Potter," Ron replied as he opened the door to his and Hermione's dorm and disappeared inside.

Harry let himself into his and Ginny's dorm where he found her on the couch talking to Hermione. They immediately stopped talking and looked up expectantly at him as he came in. Sure that they had just been talking about them, he asked, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," they replied in unison. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Did you tell Ron?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Harry said happily.

"Good, because I told Hermione," Ginny said.

"What if I wanted to tell her?" Harry asked.

"I had to tell someone and after you, she's my best friend," Ginny explained. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Harry said, as he settled into the armchair. He turned toward Hermione and asked, "So, what do you think?"

"Harry, I think it's amazing. You're a wonderful teacher," Hermione said as she reached across the coffee table to touch his hand. "I'm so glad that you won't be putting yourself in danger anymore as an Auror. And you and Ginny are always so much happier when you can be together."

"Thanks," Harry said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I was nervous about what you would think."

"Harry, you saved the entire wizarding world. You earned yourself hero status for life. No one would think of you as a quitter to want to live a safer more normal life," Hermione said reassuringly.

"Thanks," Harry repeated. With a grin, he said, "By the way, Ron volunteered the two of you to take tonight's patrol so Ginny and I can have some time alone."

"Yeah, he owes you after barging in on your alone time in the shower earlier," Hermione agreed with a laugh.

Harry shook his head and Ginny and asked, "Do you really need to tell her _everything_?"

Ginny shrugged and Hermione laughed, "I'll get out of here so you guys can enjoy your alone time."

"Oh, can you tell Ron that, for now, my new jobs for next year are top secret?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Sure, no problem," Hermione said, as she closed the door behind her.

Ginny rose from her spot on the couch and settled herself on Harry's lap and asked, "So, we have the rest of the evening to ourselves?"

"Well, we should head down to dinner pretty soon and I have a lot of homework I should get going on," Harry teased. Yawning loudly, he added, "And I'm really pretty tired, I should try to get to bed early tonight."

"Very funny, Mr. Potter," Ginny said as she twisted in his lap to straddle him. She slid her hands up under his shirt and ran her fingers up and down his back.

"What exactly did you have in mind, Mrs. Potter?" Harry asked as he began to unbutton her shirt. She never got around to an answer though; their mouths collided and Harry fumbled to release the hooks on Ginny's bra. When the bra was conquered and he'd thrown it toward the couch, she wrapped her arms around his head and threaded her fingers into his hair, directing his mouth toward her breasts.

Harry was about to suggest they move into their bedroom when someone knocked loudly on the door. Ginny growled in frustration as Harry's mouth separated from her skin. "Why can't I get more than five minutes alone with my husband anymore?"

"Harry?" Ron called through the door. "You in there?"

Ginny looked ready to blow a fuse. Her older brother had interrupted her much needed alone time with Harry not once, but twice today, which was two times too many.

"Gin, why don't you go into the bedroom, put on one of those sexy little nightgowns you have, and I'll deal with Ron and be there in a minute," Harry suggested.

Ginny looked like she'd rather come to the door with Harry and give her brother a piece of her mind, but as she was topless, she scowled toward the door before grabbing her clothes and stomping into the bedroom. When she'd slammed the door behind her, Harry opened the door to face Ron.

"What happened to your hair?" Ron asked grinning.

"Um, Ginny and I were uh…," Harry began as he tried to smooth his hair back down.

"I did it again, didn't I?" Ron asked. "I was just coming to see if you wanted to come down to dinner and ask you a question. I didn't think you'd be…well, you know."

"Ron, we're newlyweds and it's been three days. When we have time to ourselves, of course that's going to be what we're doing," Harry explained patiently. "Ginny and I have our own kitchen in here. We're going to eat later. What's your question?"

"It can wait," Ron said. "Really, I'm sorry."

"Nah, just ask," Harry said. "You're here. Ginny's in the bedroom changing into something sexy; I have a few minutes."

Ron shuddered and said, "I didn't need to know that. Anyway, earlier you mentioned that Ginny had to deal with something alone while you were out on that mission right after your honeymoon. What were you talking about?"

"Oh," Harry said. "Well, I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it, but we had a little pregnancy scare."

"Wow," Ron said. He was quiet for a nearly a minute before saying, "Now the way Ginny was acting those few days makes so much more sense. I can see why being away while Gin thought she might be pregnant would make you question if you wanted to be an Auror."

"Yeah, it was a good test. It turned out to be a false alarm, but it really made me think about what it would be like someday when we are starting our own family and how it would feel to be away from them," Harry said. "It helped me to make a really big decision."

"For what it's worth, I think you made the right choice," Ron said.

"Me too," Harry agreed. "The only people who knew about the pregnancy scare are you and Hermione, can you keep it that way?"

"Absolutely," Ron said. "Tell Ginny I'm sorry.

"About the scare?" Harry asked.

"That and all the interruptions. I'll try not to let it happen again," Ron said.

"We'll work out some sort of system," Harry said. "There has to be an easy way for us to let you know that right now isn't a good time."

"Sounds like a plan," Ron said, as he walked away.

As Harry walked back into the dorm toward their bedroom, he thought about the different ways his marriage was changing his friendship with Ron. All of them were natural and anticipated changes, but he could still feel the strain it added. While Ron would always be his mate, there was some guilt in knowing that now and forever more he was Ginny's husband first and Ron's best friend second. He needed to figure out a way to find a balance between them and make sure that Ron still knew how important his friendship was to him. As he opened the bedroom door and caught sight of Ginny standing at the end of their bed in an emerald green nightgown he thought, "Just not tonight," and all further thoughts of Ron were pushed aside.

**Author's Note: **Hello all you lovely readers! Thanks for all the reviews after the last chapter, you all rock! I hope this update didn't seem to take too long. I would have liked to get this chapter done a bit faster, but I started a new job at work and they have been training me on a million new things…my head is spinning a bit.

Thank you to my wonderful beta Terra Ferme for doing such a quick and marvelous editing job on this chapter! I'm so glad that you got a new computer ~ yay for you!

I should have done this after the last chapter but big, huge thanks to DanteDevilstar for all the conversations about Harry becoming a teacher instead of an Auror. You really inspired me to go for it with that idea. Thank you!

Anyone have any great ideas of what Ron's career should be when school ends? I have no clue. I've been maybe thinking about having him work at WWW with George and Percy…but I don't know.

Let me know how I'm doing or if you have any great ideas for me.

Thanks!

Tink


	35. Competition

After lunch, Harry and Ginny returned to their dorm. Ginny had a free period and Harry needed to grab his things for his Auror training with Noah starting in four minutes. If he sprinted all the way there, he could make it. He dropped his bag on their kitchen table and went into their bedroom. Ginny followed him, wrapping her arms around his torso from behind and nipping playfully at the nape of his neck.

"As much as I'm enjoying that," Harry said, stopping and trying to disengage from Ginny's arms, "I can't be late for training."

"Why not?" Ginny purred into his ear as she moved around to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Whenever I'm late, I have to run for an extra ten minutes," Harry explained. "It's torture."

"How many times have you been late?" Ginny asked.

"Just once, but that was plenty," Harry said. "I learned my lesson."

"Was it my fault you were late?" Ginny asked.

"Gin, it's always your fault," Harry said, bending to kiss her quickly. "You're just too irresistible."

"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered, and began to unbutton his shirt. "Let me make it up to you."

"What has gotten into you today?" Harry asked with an amused chuckle. "I know we enjoy our alone time together, but normally you don't try to make me late on purpose. Wait, is that what's going on? Are you purposely trying to hold me up?"

"No, of course not," Ginny stammered, unconvincingly.

"We will have to talk about this later," Harry said. "I'm going to be late. I just need my gear." He dug around in their closet, unable to find his bag. Seriously annoyed now, he turned to Ginny and asked as calmly as possible, "Have you seen my bag for training?"

Ginny opened her mouth to reply when Noah knocked loudly on their door and yelled, "Harry?"

"Great," Harry said angrily. "Just, great. Gin, can you help me look for my bag?"

"It's in the closet by the front door," Ginny said quickly, as she went to answer Noah's knocking.

Harry growled in frustration; he would swear that she was baiting him on purpose, he just didn't understand why. As he approached the front door, he could hear Ginny and Noah talking about the Quidditch match coming up and the scouts coming to see her play. He grabbed his bag out of the closet and moved to stand beside Ginny.

"Potter, finally," Noah said. "What kept you? You know you'll have ten extra minutes of running now."

Harry merely grunted in response.

"Good luck at the match on Saturday Ginny," Noah said. "Sounds like you're training hard for it."

"Trying to," Ginny said. Pausing for effect, she added, "Would it be too much to ask to train with the two of you just for today?"

Harry's mouth dropped. Now he understood why she was trying to slow him down. If Noah had to come to their dorm to fetch him, it presented the perfect opportunity to innocently ask if she could train with them. He wondered how long she'd been planning this. As annoyed as he still was that he'd become a casualty in her little game, he couldn't help but admire her cunning. Noah shot an incredulous glance at Harry as if to ask, 'Do you really think that's such a good idea?'

"I don't mind if you don't, Noah," Harry said with a smirk, his anger dissolving momentarily. Noah hadn't yet made it to a Quidditch match. He had no idea how intense Ginny could be when it came to Quidditch. He was looking forward to seeing the look on Noah's face when she not only kept up with them, but more than likely out performed them.

"Great," Ginny said excitedly. "Let me just grab my gear and I'll meet you there?"

"Sounds good, Harry can get started on the ten extra minutes of running that he owes me for being late," Noah said.

Noah chattered happily all the way to the Room of Requirement where they trained during the cold winter months. He seemed oblivious to Harry's foul temper. When they arrived, Harry quickly changed, stretched, and got onto his treadmill. He rolled the events from in their dorm around in his head and tried to make sense of Ginny's motives. He was sure there had to be something behind her actions. As much as she was feisty and hot tempered, she was also sweet and considerate of everyone, usually, especially of him.

By the time Ginny arrived, Harry was eight minutes into his run. Ginny changed behind a privacy screen and jumped onto the treadmill beside him, barely taking a minute to stretch first. He glanced quickly at her, but she was concentrated on the treadmill's dashboard, which monitored all sorts of different measurements. Refocusing on his own run he finished the ten minutes he owed Noah, then started on his usual running course.

A few minutes into his usual course, Harry noticed Ginny ramping up the speed on her treadmill rather than sticking to Noah's pre-designed course. Not to be outdone, Harry ratcheted up the speed on his too, if Ginny noticed she made no sign of it.

"Potter, why did you deviate from my course?" Noah asked, a note of irritation evident in his voice. He glanced quickly at Ginny's machine and said, "I see, it's a competition. Well, it's your funeral."

As Harry ran, he came to have a new appreciation for Noah's pre-designed courses. If

Noah ramped up the speed, he only did so for a short burst and then it slowed down again to give you a change to catch your breath. Harry had never run for so long at such a speed, his legs and lungs felt like they were on fire. After the stunt she'd pulled earlier, he wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of willingly being the first to slow things back down. Luckily, Noah came to his rescue, "Potter, you've got five minutes left. Slow down your speed and give your muscles a chance to cool down." With grim satisfaction, Harry noticed that Ginny slowed down too a minute after Harry did.

When each had climbed off their treadmill and drank some water, Noah said, "So Potters, what's next? Weight lifting, jump roping, or climbing the rock wall?"

"Ladies choice," Harry said to Ginny.

"Let's climb the rock wall," Ginny said enthusiastically.

"Since the two of you seem to be in some kind of competition today, the first one to the top, wins," Noah said.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

In the end, they were tied. Ginny's performance on the treadmill was more impressive than Harry's considering the distance she'd covered in ten minutes less than Harry'd had, but he had beaten her to the top of the rock wall. They had done some weight training as well, but it was hard to judge a winner in that.

"For the tie breaker, I suggest the two of you fence," Noah said. After they changed into fencing gear and Noah explained the rules to Ginny, they stood facing each other in a wide empty space.

Ginny made the first move and Harry blocked it effortlessly. He immediately took a swipe at her and got his first touch. She took a few more tries and missed. In return, he tried for and got a few more touches. Through her mask he could see her eyes narrowed in concentration taking in his every move and analyzing it. Even though he was ahead, he knew he couldn't count her out. Ginny picked things up quickly, especially games and sports. Her next attempt did not fail and Harry knew that the true match had just begun. They watched each other warily and circled each other like lions on the hunt.

Harry earned another touch and then Ginny earned a few more. It didn't take long until they were tied. They alternated between furious bursts of fencing with swords swooshing and clashing and periods of intense watching and circling. Harry always felt very alive while fencing; it was the closest he'd come to matching the feeling he had when dueling with wands. Today the sensation was heightened even more; he supposed it came from fencing with the one person who knew him like no other did. If anyone could anticipate his moves and beat him, it was his wife.

"Just one more touch," Harry thought to himself. He watched her carefully and decided to feint left, but move to strike on her right side, hoping to catch her off guard. He was halfway through his attempt when he realized that he hadn't fooled her. She'd known what he was going to do and as he moved right her sword was already there, waiting to touch him. When the tip came in contact with his chest he froze.

"Ha!" Noah shouted. "That was amazing. Potter, I think you've found your match."

"Oh, I _am_ his match, in every conceivable way," Ginny said confidently. With the tip of her sword, she pushed harder against his chest. To protect himself, Harry backed up, but she continued to push until his back was against cool solid stone. Ginny threw her sword to the ground and pulled her facemask off. Then she pulled Harry's off as well and kissed him heartily. Harry let himself sink into the kiss. He hadn't realized until now what a turn on it was to compete with Ginny, usually they played on the same team. When he moved his arms to wrap her in them and pull her closer he realized he still held his sword. He tossed it blindly to his side and barely registered the clatter of metal on the stone floor.

"Shall I just go then?" Noah asked in exasperation, from somewhere behind Ginny a minute or two later.

Ginny pulled away long enough to respond, "That would be fantastic Noah, thanks."

Had Harry been conscious of anything outside of Ginny and her lips, he would have realized how annoyed Noah was and that he'd been supposed to take a test on another chapter of the Auror Handbook today. As it was, Noah gave up and left the room muttering as Ginny began to skillfully undress her husband.

Naturally, as they were in the Room of Requirement the door locked behind Noah and the room made a few adjustments to accommodate for the sudden shift in activities. Ginny removed his shirt and moved her mouth to his chest, raising goose bumps as she went.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this," Harry managed between sighs of breath, "but, can you explain a few things for me?"

"Sure," Ginny said, as she worked at the button on his pants.

"I get that you made me late on purpose so that you could ask Noah if you could train with us today. You felt better about asking him in our dorm than coming down here to ask," Harry rattled off.

"Um-hmmm," Ginny confirmed.

"Why didn't you just ask me and I could have asked Noah for you?" Harry asked.

"I didn't want to put you in that position," Ginny said. "It would look like you don't take your training seriously if you ask if your wife can join you. This way it was all my idea."

"Okay," Harry said. "Then why were you baiting me? It felt like you were purposely trying to make me angry."

"I was," Ginny answered simply.

Harry was stunned into silence for a moment and not because Ginny had just stripped down to her knickers and stood motionless in front of him. "Why?" he asked.

"I wanted you to really compete against me," Ginny explained. "I was worried that if I came down here for a real work out you wouldn't push yourself to beat me because I'm your wife and I'm a girl. I got you mad at me so you'd WANT to beat me and it would be a real challenge to go up against you."

"You are devious," Harry said grinning. "Do you know that?"

Ginny just shrugged and asked, "Now what?"

"Wrestling?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"I was actually thinking about a shower," Ginny said suggestively.

"Finishing what we started in the locker room earlier this week?" Harry asked.

"Exactly," Ginny said. "Want to hear the best part?"

"Hmmmm," Harry asked distractedly, as he led her toward the showers in a far corner of the massive room.

"The Room of Requirement won't let my pesky brother interrupt us, like he's becoming so famous for," Ginny said.

"Sounds perfect," Harry replied. He started the water running while they finished undressing.

Ginny pulled Harry into the stall behind her and shut the door. Under the hot water, they just stood letting the pounding water wash away all the sweat and muscle aches from their training session. When his muscles started to feel looser, he picked up the bottle of the lavender-scented shampoo she always used and poured some into his hand. "Turn around," he commanded. She obliged and gently he began working the shampoo into her long hair. When he'd finished, she did the same for him. He shivered under her hands, not from cold, but simply the overwhelmingly wonderful feeling of her hands on him in such a caring and intimate way. As the last of the suds rinsed away, he let his hands trail across her slippery, wet skin, and cupped her breasts in his hands. Harry listened to the moan that escaped her lips as it echoed around the vast Room of Requirement and smiled in satisfaction.

Suddenly he felt an overwhelming desire to make love to her more urgently than he ever had before. He was sure that the urge somehow stemmed from their competition earlier. He bent to kiss her grasping her firmly around the waist, hoisting her up and pinning her against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her position as he buried his face in her cleavage. As Harry did his best to drive Ginny to the edge, he realized how gratifying it was to do this in a room with such excellent acoustics. Every little moan, whimper, and sigh his touches induced, echoed spectacularly in the large room and spurred Harry on. His hands and mouth continued to roam until she began to beg, "Harry, please…now. Please?"

Harry rubbed himself against her and, at another whimper of need that escaped Ginny, he swiftly let his hold on her slacken just enough for her slide down onto him. She gasped loudly in relief as he entered her. They moved together in an urgent rhythm working quickly toward release. When each was sated, they remained locked in place panting until their breathing slowed. When she caught her breath again, she crushed her lips to his and kissed him almost roughly. "Merlin Harry," she said, when she broke the kiss, "that was amazing."

Harry laughed and said, "Well, I should hope so. I've been imagining how our shower scene would have gone had Ron not interrupted ever since then."

"Me too," Ginny confessed, as she buried her face in his neck, planting another kiss there.

"Let's finish getting cleaned up before we miss dinner," Harry suggested.

"Harry," Ginny said tentatively.

"Yeah?" Harry replied.

"I'm sorry about earlier today," Ginny said. "I probably didn't go about things the best way."

"It's okay," Harry said. "But in the future, if you want me to compete with you and not take it easy, just ask and I'll do it."

"Just like that?" Ginny asked.

"Well, if competing like that will always lead to what we just did, then I'm game," Harry said with a grin.

"I love you, Harry," Ginny said.

"I love you too," Harry replied.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When Harry and Ginny settled across the table in the Great Hall from Ron and Hermione, it was to eyebrows raised.

"What?" Ginny asked, sounding more than a little defensive.

"Where have you two been? You missed potions this afternoon," Hermione inquired.

"I had training with Noah," Harry said. "It ran over a bit."

"I saw Noah leaving the castle hours ago muttering something about teenage hormones," Ron said.

"And that doesn't explain where you were, Ginny," Hermione pointed out.

"I asked Harry and Noah if I might crash their training session," Ginny explained. "With the match on Saturday, I thought it couldn't hurt to get a little more training in."

"I get it now," Ron said with a groan of disgust. "The two of you have absolutely no self control."

"Says the idiot who did it in a bush with his girlfriend in plain sight of other students," Ginny said sarcastically.

"Would the two of you stop bickering?" A flushed Hermione hissed. "People are starting to stare."

"Ron," Harry said, changing the subject, "when you interrupted Gin and me in the shower earlier this week, you said you wanted to talk to me about something. What was it?"

"Oh," Ron said in surprise. They watched his face turn quickly to unease before asking, "Can we discuss it after dinner?"

"Sure," Harry said, now very curious.

When the meal was finished, Harry and Ron took the evening patrol together, giving them time to talk.

"So, I take it we didn't get around to discussing what you actually interrupted us to discuss," Harry said.

"Well, partly," Ron said. "I'd wanted to talk about my situation with Hermione and we did talk about that, but mostly I wanted to get your opinion about this."

Ron handed Harry an official looking letter that he recognized, from the several he and Ginny had received, as a letter that informed the recipient that he or she was being scouted by a professional Quidditch team. Harry opened it and a quick scan confirmed that it was what he suspected. "How long have you had this?" Harry asked.

"A week or so," Ron replied.

"Why didn't you say anything about it before?" Harry asked excitedly.

"I thought maybe it was an elaborate prank that George and Charlie had arranged," Ron said. "I never thought I was a good enough player to have scouts coming to see me."

"You are though," Harry said sincerely.

"I wasn't always," Ron said. "Remember how dreadful I was in sixth year when I'd let something get under my skin?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "But things have changed a lot since sixth year."

"How do you figure?" Ron asked.

"You're a much more confident player than you were then. I think everything that happened last year taught you not to sweat the small stuff. Compared to last year, saving a few goals seems easy and so you don't worry about it and you're amazing," Harry said.

"Really?" Ron asked.

"You haven't noticed how easy goalkeeping is coming to you this year?" Harry asked. "You haven't threatened to quit the team once this year. Sixth year, you threatened at least half a dozen times leading up to every match."

"I guess," Ron said non-committaly. "So, you think that playing Quidditch professionally might be a possible career path for me?"

"Yeah, I do," Harry said honestly.

"Good," Ron said. "I really had no idea what I was going to do when school ended." They walked in silence for a few minutes while Ron thought over the new options possibly stretching before him. "Do you think Ginny would be upset if she isn't the only Weasley trying to go pro?"

"Are you kidding? I think she'll be thrilled for you," Harry said. "Besides, it's not like you are likely to end up on the same team."

"True," Ron said.

"So, are there any more developments as far as you and Hermione getting engaged?" Harry asked.

"Nah," Ron said. "I've been afraid to bring it up and get my heart stomped on."

"Well, give it a little time," Harry said.

"Thanks, Harry," Ron said.

"Anytime," Harry said with a grin. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"I do have one question," Ron said with a smirk.

"Yeah?" Harry asked.

"Why do you smell like lavender?" Ron asked laughingly.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**A/N:** I am SO sorry for the 3-month delay in this story. All I can say is that life is crazy and sometimes I have to focus on it instead of the pretend world I've created here. I am hoping to not have such a long break again in the foreseeable future.

This chapter holds a couple key points that will be important down the road, but a lot of it is fluff. I thought a fluffy chapter was the way to ease myself back into this…I feel like I've forgotten how to write a good long chapter. I am dedicating this chapter to HeddaCharlotte who asked for a smutty chapter since I've kind of skimmed scenes like that in the last several chapters.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter, especially after all this time. Thank you, thank you, thank you! My readers rock!

I owe a big shout out to Kayla who suggested that Ron play professional Quidditch as his career…the idea obviously inspired me. Thank you! I actually think it fits very well.

Also – to whomever it was (I do not have the time to search back through all my mail to find their name) I was talking to about the Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons…inbox me, please!

Finally to HPOTTER55 – your messages did spur me into action…just not as quickly as you probably hoped. I did try to write back to you to apologize/explain, but your messaging is turned off and I wasn't allowed to contact you. Thanks though!

Thanks!

Tink

P.S. This chapter was betaed and replaced after the original posting. Thank you to my beta Terra Ferme and Duke Brymin for letting me know about all my little errors!


	36. The Quidditch Match

Ginny woke the morning of the match much too early, but couldn't get back to sleep. She laid flat on her back for a while, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about the match. She ran plays in her head and worried over tiny details. Typically she didn't worry about matches but, today, there would be scouts in the stands watching her, analyzing her every move, deciding if she was good enough to play professionally, and, possibly, formulating offers to make her to entice her to join their team rather than another. The more she thought about it all, the more she could feel her stress level rising. She needed something to take her mind off Quidditch until closer to the match and, as sleep was still eluding her, she couldn't count on that. She glanced beside her at a sleeping Harry and knew immediately what would help.

She shimmied out of the sweat pants and nightgown she'd worn to bed and, rolling toward him, hitched a leg over his hip. She snuggled into his arms, pulling their bodies flush and kissed his neck. It had the desired effect. Harry opened one eye a crack and asked, "Now? Not that I'm complaining, but it's the middle of the night."

"It is not," Ginny laughed. "It's just very early. The sun will be along shortly."

"Why aren't you sleeping? We have a big match today, you know," Harry said.

"Like I could forget about that," Ginny said sounding a bit desperate. "That's why I can't sleep anymore. I tried."

"I see," Harry said, getting into the spirit of it a bit. "You just want me to take your mind off things for a bit by letting you use my body as your own personal distraction device."

"Yes, please," Ginny said, ignoring the hint of sarcasm in his voice and running a hand down his side enticingly.

As he pulled her even closer, he said, "You know I'd only ever do this for you."

"I know and I will return the favor anytime," Ginny assured him in relief.

"What about the other night when I tried and you whacked me with your slipper?" Harry asked accusingly.

Ginny laughed and said, "That didn't happen."

Harry laughed too and said, "I know, I'm kidding, but you owe me."

"Gladly," Ginny said gratefully, as he shifted their positions got down to business.

An hour later, when the sun had properly risen in the sky, Harry and Ginny lay curled together dozing after their lovemaking. Rising to the challenge, Harry had tried a few new moves with which to distract Ginny. Now, rolling over to peer at the clock on his night stand, he said, "Well, Mrs. Potter, that aught to put a little extra swagger in your step today."

Ginny laughed and said, "What about your step?

"My broomstick will definitely have some extra zip today," Harry countered with a smirk.

"Which broomstick?" Ginny asked playfully raising an eyebrow at him.

He laughed then kissed her heartily again and said, "We'd better go down to breakfast."

Ginny kissed him once more and, wrapping her arms around his neck, said softly, "Thank you. You calmed my nerves a bit and that was exactly what I needed."

"You're welcome, any time," Harry said sincerely. "But you know you are going to be great today, right?"

"Of course," Ginny said, trying to sound cocky but not quite succeeding.

"You will be," Harry said firmly. "Without a doubt."

The couple settled across from Ron and Hermione when they arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast. Ginny noticed that her brother looked nervous too. Glancing toward the Ravenclaw table, she hoped that their Quidditch team looked a bit nervous as well and, seeing several of them seated there picking at their breakfasts, wasn't disappointed. She'd heard that at least one of their players was expecting a scout for today's match as well. She just hoped that once they got onto the pitch and the game was underway, it would feel like a normal game and she'd be able to perform as such. Thinking back over how she'd calmed her nerves earlier she smiled a little.

"You look happy this morning," Hermione commented. "I expected you to be a bit more nervous."

"I was," Ginny said. "Harry helped me calm my nerves a bit." She grinned a little but noticed that Harry was carefully keeping a straight face.

"Merlin," Ron burst out after looking at each for a moment. "How many times do I have to tell the two of you that I don't want to hear about your bedroom activities?"

"Ronald," Hermione scolded, "neither of them said anything of the sort. In fact, I rather think…," the rest of her statement died away as she took in the looks on Harry and Ginny's faces confirming that had been exactly what Ginny had meant.

Ron threw down his fork in disgust and said, "I'm going out to the changing room to polish my broomstick before the match."

Harry and Ginny exchanged amused glances but managed to hold in their laughter at his statement until he'd marched out of the Great Hall. Hermione looked at them, scandalized, and, with a sigh, said, "Really!"

"He's a bit touchy this morning," Ginny said, not really sounding concerned.

Hermione and Harry exchanged a brief look. Hermione nodded carefully giving Harry permission to tell Ginny what they knew that she didn't. "Gin," Harry said carefully, "Ron has as much reason to be nervous about today's match as you do. You see, he's also being scouted today."

"Why didn't he tell me?" Ginny asked in surprise.

"He didn't want to steal your thunder. He knows how important today is for you and how much you've been looking forward to it. You've been dreaming of playing Quidditch professionally for years. He didn't have any idea this would be an option for him until he got the letter," Harry explained.

"I think he felt that you might feel cheated if you weren't the only Weasley being scouted," Hermione offered.

"That's just silly," Ginny said. "Why can't I be excited for both of us? It's not like we're competing. We don't play the same position."

"That's what I told him," Harry said. "But he preferred to wait and tell you later."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Ginny said, rounding on Harry. "Isn't that what a husband is for? To let his wife in on secrets so that she won't go around acting big headed and superior."

"He asked me specifically not to tell you," Harry said defensively. "I told him he should just tell you. It wasn't my news to share. Besides, I don't think you were acting big headed or superior."

"Maybe I'll just follow him down there so we can talk about it," Ginny said.

Harry grabbed her arm as she started to stand and said, "Eat your breakfast first."

She rolled her eyes at him but complied. As soon as she had finished though, she set off alone for the changing room. When she arrived, she found Ron sitting on the floor staring out at the pitch. She settled herself beside him and asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I feel like I'm crashing your party," Ron said, not even trying to pretend that he didn't know what she was talking about. "You're a natural at Quidditch and the whole family's been expecting you to get accepted onto a professional team. I'm not sure this is going to work out for me. I didn't want to make a big deal about it."

"You're a natural too," Ginny said encouragingly. "You just had to get past your nerves first. Whether you make it onto a professional team or not, I'm proud of you Ron."

"Thanks," Ron said, smiling at her and turning faintly pink at her praise. "I'm proud of you too. I know, without a doubt, that you will make it onto a professional team and I'm looking forward to bragging about my little sister, the famous chaser."

Ginny laughed and laid her head against his shoulder for a moment. When she straightened back up, she said, "If the little comments I make that subtly hint at mine and Harry's sex life bother you that much, I can stop," Ginny offered.

"Nah," Ron said. "Don't worry about it. I know you enjoy making them too much to quit and they don't really bother me as much as I let on. I'm glad to know you and Harry get on so well. But as you're my sister and he's my best mate, I try not to think about it more than strictly necessary."

They heard a door bang somewhere behind them and knew the rest of the team was starting to arrive for the match. As they stood, Ginny said, "Good luck today, Ron."

"You too," he said back with a grin.

The match had started off as it usually did with the commentator announcing the players as they came out onto the pitch. The commentator this year was Dennis Creevey. He had seemed a bit lost all year without Colin, but commentating on the Quidditch matches was the one thing that seemed to give him some extra spark. As Harry and Ginny were co-captains, they took it in turns to shake hands with the Ravenclaw team captain before Madame Hooch released the balls. Ginny got possession of the quaffle first and quickly scored the first goal. The match was off to an excellent start.

Harry flew around in circles, high above the rest of the pitch looking for the snitch. He was listening intently to Dennis and watching Ginny and Ron as closely as he could while still keeping his eye out for the snitch. Currently, Gryffindor was up 40 to 10. He made another loop of the pitch squinting around for the tiny golden ball before pausing long enough to watch Ginny dodge both bludgers, one after the other, as well as all three chasers from the Ravenclaw team trying to steal the quaffle from her, before easily scoring on the opposing keeper. The crowd roared their approval and Harry grinned; Ginny was an amazing player. The scouts were sure to be impressed. Ron had only let in a single quaffle so far, but Ginny wasn't giving the Ravenclaw team much of a chance to get the quaffle to try.

Harry looked around for the Ravenclaw Seeker, making sure he hadn't seen something he'd missed. Annoyingly, he seemed to be tailing him rather than looking for the snitch on his own. Anxious to lose him, Harry sped up and hurtled toward the other end of the pitch. As expected, the other seeker followed. Harry did his best to shake him off while looking around for the snitch. In the bits and pieces of the match going on below, Harry watched Ron saved several goals and Ginny assisted both her fellow chasers in making goals. The score was at 90 to 40.

Harry made another loop closer to the action and saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, George, Percy, and Hagrid in the stands with Hermione as he passed. Where was that snitch?

Ginny felt that the match was going well. She was trying to balance the goals she took for herself with the ones she was setting up and doling out to her fellow chasers. She wanted the scouts to see that she was a team player as well as being a force to be reckoned with on her own. Ron was doing marvelously; she just wished that Harry would find the snitch already and end the game on this good note. She was aware that the longer the game went on and the more tired people became, the sloppier the playing would become and that wasn't the impression she wanted to leave the scouts with.

Harry continued circling; he was starting to get frustrated. He wanted to end the game with a victory before it went on too long. The Ravenclaw Seeker was right on his tail again; Harry ground his teeth in frustration. He was about to barrel roll to try losing the other seeker when he saw a golden glimmer down near Ron. Harry sped toward the end of the field. The Ravenclaw Seeker followed and, clearly catching sight of the snitch as well, tried to accelerate past Harry. Not having time to be polite, Harry bellowed at Ron to move. Ron dodged out of the way as Harry flew through the center ring and caught the snitch on the other side ending the game at a score of 290 to 90.

Gryffindor fans poured onto the field as the team remained aloft hugging and screaming. They would play in the match for the cup and they had won the game today in front of the scouts. They couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Harry, Ron, and Ginny remained airborne as the rest of the team landed to be engulfed by their fans.

"Ron, you were brilliant!" Harry yelled happily.

"You really were," Ginny said, beaming at her brother.

"Gin, you're going to have every team in the league fighting over you," Harry said proudly, as he pulled her to him for a kiss.

"You can say that again," Ron agreed.

"But, Harry," Ginny said. "You stole the show. It doesn't matter how well Ron and I play when you make a catch like that. You're the hero of the game. That was amazing!"

"The scouts aren't going to take no for an answer," Ron said.

Finally, the three of them, grinning, returned to the ground and joined the throng of celebrating Gryffindors. They found Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Percy, George, Hagrid, and Hermione in the crowd. Excitedly, they talked about the match until Headmistress McGonagall found them and said, "Ron, Ginny, some of the scouts are asking to meet with you. If you're ready, they will speak with you in my office." She turned toward Harry and added, "They're asking to meet with you as well but, as I understand it, you do not wish to pursue a future in professional Quidditch."

"Correct," Harry said. "Ginny, will you explain to them?"

"Of course," Ginny said. She moved forward to kiss him; then, with a smile, she began walking toward the castle with Ron. As much as they knew the match had gone as well as it could have and had been extremely confident just minutes ago, they let the doubt creep in as they silently made their way up to the castle. What if, despite their best efforts, they didn't have the skills the scouts were looking for? Did scouts normally ask to meet with those they were there to watch? Neither was sure. Was it good news or bad news that they wanted to meet them at all?

When they stopped behind McGonagall in front of the gargoyle, they looked at each other and smiled nervously. The gargoyle moved aside for McGonagall and she beckoned them ahead of her onto the spiral staircase. They entered her office ahead of her and moved to the side once through the door to let her bustle ahead of them.

"Here they are," McGonagall said jovially.

"But where is Potter?" one man asked.

"Potter does not wish to pursue a professional Quidditch career," McGonagall said briskly. "He will not be joining us."

"What?" The man said loudly. Several of the others in the room looked shocked as well. "Potter is a very gifted player; clearly he was born to play."

"True as that may be," McGonagall said, starting to get annoyed, "he is firm on his decision not to play professionally."

"I don't understand," the same man said.

Stepping forward, Ginny said, "If I may, Harry is flattered that professional teams have shown an interest in recruiting him, but, despite his love for the sport, he won't be persuaded to play professionally. You see, Harry has been famous in our world since he was just a baby. He never asked for this fame and has struggled with it more than anything. He is unwilling to pursue a career that will just further enhance the problem. He knows that there is no way around it and has decided he would be happier pursuing another career which will not bring more attention upon himself."

"And what career might that be?" the man asked.

"That is not information available to the general public at this time," McGonagall said, cutting across Ginny who had opened her mouth to answer. Then, in an effort to prove that Ginny knew precisely what Harry's thoughts were on the topic at hand, she dismissed her, saying, "Thank you, Mrs. Potter."

Ginny only noticed one of the scouts in the room adopt a surprised expression. Cleary, the rest of them knew exactly who she was and her relation to Harry. Ron and Ginny settled into chairs and McGonagall asked that they get on with the reason they requested this meeting. Looks were exchanged amongst the scouts before one stood and said, "We merely wanted to congratulate these fine players for their superb playing today and to let them know that each of the teams that were represented here today will mail a letter to them shortly with further recruitment communications if they are interested."

"Very well," McGonagall said shortly. "Can I escort you back to the Great Hall or do you think you can manage to find it on your own?"

The scouts sensed the chill in her tone and quickly found their own way out of the office. When sure they were completely out of earshot, McGonagall addressed Ron and Ginny saying fiercely, "What a bunch of rubbish! I'm sorry I asked the two of you up here. I did rather suspect that there were ulterior motives at hand when they asked only to speak with the Gryffindor players they were scouting and not the Ravenclaw ones as well."

"What's going on?" Ron asked sounding confused.

"Well," McGonagall said, puffing herself up a bit, "typically, when a team scout comes to watch a player, they do not meet with them afterward. The player simply waits for any letters which would further indicate interest from a team. Clearly, the scouts here today simply wanted an audience with Potter to persuade him to join their team."

"I'm sure any team that would recruit Harry would show immediate increased popularity," Ginny said. "Which is exactly why he doesn't want this."

"Which rather breaks my heart," McGonagall said. "You can see how much he loves to play and he did inherit his father's talent for it. He's really good. He would do very well professionally."

"But you have to understand his position on it," Ginny said defensively.

"Oh, I do, completely," McGonagall said. "He has absolutely made the right choice. It's still sad that he should have to turn away from something he loves so much."

"So, how long do the letters usually take to arrive if a team is interested?" Ron asked nervously.

"It depends," McGonagall said. "If they are very interested, you could hear from them immediately. If they have more players to scout and you are just one of many possible choices, it could be weeks or months. Usually, professional training and practice start just after the school year ends, so I imagine that by graduation in June you will know for certain."

"Can we agree not to tell Harry that the scouts really just wanted to see him?" Ginny asked. "I don't want him to feel like he took anything away from Ron or me today. It's not his fault that the whole lot of them were a bunch of bloody fame seekers."

McGonagall and Ron nodded their silent agreement to her.

"Now, I'm sure there is a party in the works up in the Gryffindor common room. The two of you should get cleaned up and go join in revelry," McGonagall said smiling kindly. "I believe you'll find that your family is waiting to see you in the Potter's dorm."

Much later, Harry and Ginny found themselves cuddled into an armchair by the fire in the Gryffindor common room as the celebratory party raged on around them. They had enjoyed discussing the match and celebrating with the rest of their fellow Gryffindors but were ready to be by themselves again. As the team's captains, they were expected to come to the party and they were glad they had, but, by this time of the night, the party usually turned less celebratory and into more of a mating ritual. Being past the flirting and games going on around them, they found themselves discussing the future again.

"If I make it onto a team, what are you going to do this summer while I train?" Ginny asked.

"When you make it onto a team, I will probably spend some time at the ministry doing some more Auror training so that I'm ready for that part of my role here next year," Harry said. "That, and I think I will start doing some lesson planning."

"Do you think Ron will make it?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"I think he has as good a chance as anyone, but I don't know who else they're scouting. It's hard to say," Harry said. "But I really hope so."

"Me too," Ginny said with a yawn.

"Tired?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Yes. I was up awfully early this morning," Ginny reminded him.

"Want to go to bed?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Ginny agreed with sparkling eyes.

**Author's Note:** Hello all! I owe you all a huge apology for the delay in this story. It's not a great or original excuse, but life has gotten in the way. I really am hoping (I know you've heard this all before) that I can get into a more regular schedule with this.

Thank you to my beta, Terra Ferme, for editing this chapter. I can't believe you managed to beat your previous speed record on this one. You are awesome!

Thank you to everyone who sent me messages looking for new chapters and asking if I was ever coming back…they inspired me to hurry up as much as I could and get another chapter ready.

Thanks for reading – you all rock. If you have any excellent ideas of what you want to see for the rest of their school year let me know. I have a few ideas up my sleeve, so stay tuned.


	37. Letters and Chocolate

**A/N:** I will start this one out with a note. As always – I'm SO sorry for the long delay. No excuses, but I do plan on working on the next chapter very shortly. . Secondly, huge thanks to my beta, TerraFerme, for his excellent work on editing this chapter! Thirdly, this chapter went somewhere entirely different than where I intended it to. I do like it though so I'm letting it stand. Sometimes that happens. Happy reading! Please let me know if you have suggestions for me!

So - when I first uploaded this it showed the changes my beta made along with my original text...odd. I'm sorry for those who had to read through that mess. I fixed it . Thanks to those who alerted me to the issue

oOoOoOoOoOoO

The match against Ravenclaw had been weeks ago. Within days, Ginny had received letters from three teams making her generous offers to join their ranks. She wasted no time in accepting the only starting offer she'd ever really hoped for; reserve chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. She'd been walking around the castle with a permanent grin affixed to her face ever since. Ron, on the other hand, was still waiting and, despite the assertions he'd made immediately following the match that he'd been thrilled just be considered, he was in a right foul mood. He snapped at everyone about everything and sulked over tiny things that he took great personal offense to, even when they hadn't been meant that way. Hermione had given up trying to soothe him and was giving him a wide berth. Ginny had offered encouraging words every time their paths crossed at first, but eventually Ron'd had enough and snapped at her to stop rubbing her success in his face. Harry was trying valiantly to only discuss things with Ron that had no relation to Quidditch, but even that backfired since currently Ron was finding a way to relate everything back to Quidditch. Ron was letting this disappointment taint every aspect of his life and making everyone miserable.

It was Saturday morning. Harry and Ginny had been awake for nearly an hour, but hadn't yet moved out of their bed. Usually when they remained in bed for this long after they'd woken up, it was for a specific purpose. Today however, they were talking and trying to avoid spending any unnecessary time with Ron.

"We should get up," Harry said for the third time, as he ran a hand down her back and over her bottom. "Unless … you wanted to…"

"I explained to you yesterday why we can't," Ginny said somewhat uncomfortably.

"Right," Harry said remembering their discussion and quickly plowing ahead. "Breakfast then?"

"Can we have breakfast up here? I really don't fancy going down to the great hall this morning," Ginny said glumly.

"Because of Ron or the … um, other thing?" Harry asked.

"Maybe both," Ginny offered, but then added irritably, "mostly Ron."

"Someone really needs to talk to him. He's being a complete git," Harry said.

"I nominate you," Ginny said.

"Why me?" Harry groaned.

"You're his best mate," Ginny reminded him.

"So what? You're his sister," Harry countered.

"Maybe Hermione can try talk to him again," Ginny suggested. "After all, she's his girlfriend."

"No," Harry groaned, remembering the hurtful things Ron had said to her last time she'd tried. "I'll talk to him after breakfast."

"I have to tell you something," Ginny said awkwardly, sitting up in bed. "I should have told you back when it happened, but I was trying to protect you. But now, in light of the whole Ron situation, you need to know about this in the event he brings it up."

Harry's brow furrowed and Ginny could tell that he was willing himself to keep his temper under control. They had agreed on more than one occasion that they would have no secrets between them. She knew that it had been wrong of her to keep this from him. "Ok," he said shortly, also sitting up in bed.

"After the match against Ravenclaw when Ron and I went to meet with the scouts, we found out that it was all just a ruse to have an audience with you," Ginny confessed. "Ron, Headmistress McGonagall, and I agreed to keep it between the three of us. We didn't want you to feel like anything had been diminished for us because some idiot scouts used us in an effort to get to you."

"What do you mean they were trying to get to me?" Harry asked, although he thought he might already know.

"They were scouting you too," Ginny reminded him. "Even though it's been your intention all along not to play professionally, they'd hoped to meet with you and change your mind. You see, any team that can boast that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, signed as one of their players is going to become extremely popular. McGonagall said scouts don't typically meet with the players they're scouting and they only invited the Gryffindor players being scouted to the meeting, not any of the Ravenclaw players. The whole thing was a set up. As soon as they realized you weren't coming to the meeting, they wrapped things up pretty quickly. Headmistress McGonagall was awesomely scary."

"I bet Ron is remembering that and it's adding to his irritation," Harry said.

"Exactly," Ginny said. "Which is why I needed to tell you about it before you talk to him again."

"You should have told me right after it happened," Harry said evenly.

"I know," Ginny said quietly. "I'm sorry. We didn't want to ruin the great mood after our win, so we kept it a secret."

"I understand and appreciate why you did it, but next time, just tell me," Harry said. "I'm a grown-up, I can handle it."

After a leisurely breakfast in their own small kitchen, Harry went in search of Ron while Ginny settled in front of the fire with a pile of homework and some knitting. "Send Hermione over if you see her," Ginny had called as Harry left their dorm.

Harry was not surprised to find Ron alone out by the lake chucking in the biggest rocks he could lift. His bad mood had gone on so long that he'd alienated everyone that would typically spend time with him.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked sourly when he spotted Harry watching him.

"Thought we could we talk," Harry said, trying to sound friendly and casual.

"I suppose," Ron said with a scowl.

Harry edged away from the lake and when Ron joined him they set off on a path toward the Quidditch pitch. He wasn't sure where to begin even. Finally he said, "It's okay to be upset. No one blames you for that. But you need to stop taking your disappointment out on everyone. You've chased away everyone that spent time with you."

After a brief silence, Ron sighed loudly and said, glumly, "I know."

Taking the loss of the surly attitude as a step in the right direction, Harry barreled on, "Just because you haven't heard anything yet doesn't necessarily mean anything. Maybe there are just a lot of keepers to scout this season."

"Yeah, maybe," Ron agreed half heartedly.

Not having any idea if what he was about to say was remotely true, Harry said, "I bet keeper is one of the hardest positions to fill. I mean, the keeper is like the backbone of a team. They want to be sure they are getting one that is really going to hold the team together."

"I've heard that," Ron said sounding hopeful. "I guess I've gotten a little bent out of shape over this whole thing."

"Just a bit," Harry said loyally.

"Well, more than just a bit," Ron admitted. "I let myself get really worked up over all of this."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Why is that? I mean, after the match you said you were just happy to have been considered. What changed?"

"I guess I really got used to the idea of playing Quidditch professionally next year. Without that I really don't have a plan for my future," Ron said. "So, once it seemed unlikely that I was going to hear from a team, I just kind of fell apart. I mean, what am I going to do if I don't play Quidditch? And I had this idea in my head that if I had a reliable and prosperous career path figured out, it might encourage Hermione to move ahead with our lives together sooner."

"Oh," Harry said, "I had kind of guessed the rest, but I'd missed how Hermione might play into all of this."

Sheepishly, Ron continued, "I guess I hoped that if I made it onto a team, she'd want to get engaged to keep the female fans from trying to get too close. It's stupid, I know …"

"It's not stupid," Harry said. "I bet Hermione would like to hear how much she plays into these Quidditch plans. She'd understand better why you are so upset and how much she means to you."

"Really?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "But, fair warning. You've been acting like a complete jerk for weeks now. She's bound to take some extra convincing to forgive you."

Just as they neared the Quidditch pitch and Harry was going to suggest they fly around a bit, a breathless Hermione caught up with them brandishing a letter at Ron. Between gasps for air, Hermione said, "This came for you at breakfast." She was clutching a stitch in her side with one hand and attempting to smooth her hair back down with the other as Ron stared down at the orange crest on the envelope.

"It's from the Cannons," he said in a strained voice.

"Open it!" Hermione practically barked at him.

"I can't," Ron said with wild eyes. "You do it."

Hermione pushed the arm that Ron was holding the letter out to her with toward Harry. Still panting slightly, she said, "Harry, you do it."

"Alright," Harry said. He took the envelope with a nod from Ron and carefully ripped it open. He scanned the page before breaking in a huge grin and reading aloud, "Dear Mr. Weasely, We are delighted to inform you that you have been short listed as a candidate for our reserve keeper position. We would like to invite you to an invitation-only tryout for the position. You and two other keepers will be competing for the spot in a goal keeping challenge. Best out of 50 wins the spot. In the event of a tie there will be a sudden death rematch option. Please send us an owl if you would like to be included in the tryout and we will send you further details. Thank you, The Chudley Cannons."

Hermione shrieked and threw herself into a stunned looking Ron's arms.

"Brilliant!" Harry said happily.

"Is that really what it says?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, of course," Harry said handing the letter back to Ron.

Ron scanned the page quickly and then, looking back up at Harry, muttered simply, "Merlin."

"I'll leave the two of you alone," Harry said smirking. "But you might want to take a walk over to the owlery to let them know that you're interested in coming to the tryout."

"Yeah," Ron said still looking bewildered. "Thanks Harry."

Chuckling, Harry headed back up to the castle on his own. As he walked, he thought about what it would be like if he was accepting offers from different Quidditch teams. What he wouldn't give to be playing professionally next year like Ginny and possibly Ron. Of course, the option was still open to him, but deep down inside he knew that parts of it would just make him deeply unhappy. He'd had enough unhappiness already in his life he wasn't going to purposely invite more in. He would have to be satisfied with living vicariously through Ginny and possibly Ron.

"Fresh pickled toad," Harry whispered their current password outside their dorm room door. It swung open and he left his cloak and shoes by the door. Ginny was fast asleep on the couch in front of the fire, knitting still clutched in her hands. He intended just to take it from her and set it on the table but, as he did so, she woke up.

"Harry," she said, her voice laced with tired confusion, "Hermione never showed up. I guess I fell asleep."

"I only just saw her out on the grounds. I left her and Ron together," Harry explained.

"How did your talk with him go?" Ginny asked curiously.

For the next half an hour, Harry told her all about what Ron had said and how Hermione had shown up with the letter from the Cannons.

"I'm so glad he's not out of it yet then. I've been feeling guilty for weeks about my happiness at getting onto the Harpies," Ginny said.

"I know, I could tell," Harry said as he reached a hand toward her only to withdraw it again before actually touching her. "But, you really shouldn't feel guilty. It's a tremendous accomplishment."

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him said, "You can touch me you know. It's not catching."

"I know," Harry said warily, fearing her temper. "I just wasn't sure if you wanted me to."

"I always want you to touch me," Ginny snapped. "This doesn't change anything."

"Yeah, but last month I tried to touch you and you told me to back off, that touching you only made it worse," Harry said.

Ginny chuckled darkly before her expression softened and she said, "Poor Harry, I'm sorry. Last month, it did make it worse. It made me want you more, but I couldn't have you. This month I want you to touch me and comfort me. It just varies so much. I'm not trying purposely to be contradictory and irrational."

"Okay," Harry said. "I guess I'm still getting used to it and figuring out how I should handle it."

"You can always just ask me if you aren't sure," Ginny said carefully. "And eventually you'll be able to read all the signs."

"I hope so," Harry said. He quietly contemplated how close he should get to her on the couch before asking, "So, how many more days?"

"I don't know, maybe two," Ginny said. Harry groaned quietly beside her and she laughed. "Just imagine what a pain it is for witches and then you won't feel so bad for yourself."

"I can't feel bad for both of us?" Harry asked as he reached across and took her hand.

"Of course," Ginny said as she grasped his hand more firmly and pulled him toward her. "But, it's not like we can't do anything."

"Really?" Harry asked, his whole face lighting up.

"Sure, we just can't do that…," Ginny said trailing off suggestively. "Before our wedding night, we fooled around a lot during that time and you never even noticed. Just pretend we're saving ourselves all over again."

Harry groaned again and said, "But that was so much less fun than what we do now."

"I know, but think of it like a preview…in a few nights we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program," Ginny suggested hopefully.

"I suppose," Harry said, carefully eyeing her, as if trying to decide where to start.

"Harry," Ginny said huskily. "Just kiss me."

And so he did. It had been so long since they'd just kissed like that. He had forgotten how breathtaking and heady it could be all on its own. They kissed and kissed trying all the while to get as close as humanly possible to each other. Eventually they sat on the couch with Ginny straddling him and their upper bodies pressed tightly together as they kissed. When Harry's hands found their way under the back of Ginny's shirt, she groaned sadly in response and said, "Not today."

"Why not?" Harry asked, stubbornly not removing his hands. "Those aren't affected too, are they?"

"Sore," Ginny said quickly, as she worked to recapture Harry's mouth with her own. He continued to kiss her back but she felt that some of his enthusiasm had ebbed away. In consolation, she slid her hands under his shirt lightly raking her nails across his skin as she ground against his erection. She felt him draw in breath sharply before deepening the kiss again. She continued her ministrations and when she could tell he could handle no more, she broke the contact, pulled him off the couch and into their bedroom. She closed the door behind them and knelt before him.

Sometime later, a deeply satisfied Harry lay in bed with Ginny. She was cuddled up to him as he stroked her back. She yawned loudly and said sleepily, "See, I told you we could still do some things, just not everything. It can still be a fun time."

"Thank you," Harry said as he stroked her hair. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Maybe you won't be so afraid of me next month," Ginny said teasingly.

Harry chuckled and agreed with her. Then, sensing she was about to fall asleep again, he said, "It's almost dinner time, want to go eat?"

"I just want to sleep. Do you mind going alone?" Ginny asked, sounding guilty.

"No, not at all, you rest. Do you want me to bring something up for you to eat later?" Harry asked.

"Chocolate," she mumbled as she snuggled deeper into Harry's chest.

Harry kissed her gently before struggling out from under her. He tucked her into their bed and quietly left the room.

Down in the Great Hall, dinner was just starting. He saw Hermione and Ron at the table and moved to join them.

"Where's Ginny?" Hermione asked, as Harry settled at the table.

"Sleeping," Harry said.

"Is she sick?" Ron asked, sounding concerned.

"Well, not really …," Harry said, unsure of how to answer the question.

"What's wrong with her? Does she need to go to Madame Pomfrey?" Ron asked protectively.

"She's just tired and …" Harry again was unsure how to put things.

Ron was openly staring at Harry now. Hermione smirked a little before asking, "Is it her witchy time of the month?"

"Ugh!" Ron said loudly. "Way too much information."

Hermione laughed at Ron's discomfort, but for Harry, it was still hitting a little too close to home. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him and he nodded. Nodding back at him, she said, "Just bring her some chocolate, it works wonders."

"Anyway," Ron cut in, "enough about that. I owled the Cannons and they sent me the details for the tryout. They're a week from today at 10 AM at their training facilities. Reckon you and Ginny will have time to help me practice?"

"Sure," Harry said excitedly. "But if you want my honest opinion, you're unbeatable as long as you don't let your nerves get the best of you."

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Ron asked sarcastically. "I have a long history of doing exactly that."

"While you're up there, pretend it's the Horcrux Hunt all over again. But instead of finding and destroying horcruxes, you have to keep the quaffle from going through the hoop. Just think how much easier protecting a goal will seem than hunting horcruxes," Harry suggested.

"Don't you think that will make him more nervous?" Hermione asked. "When you put it that way, it sounds like a lot of pressure to be under."

"No, I like it," said Ron. "If it has more of a sense of duty, I'll think about it less and just do it."

Hermione still looked skeptical, but wisely said nothing further. When the three of them rose from the table to head back upstairs, Harry asked Hermione, "So, what kind of chocolate?"

Hermione smiled fondly at him and said, "Any really, but I happen to know that Ginny loves the hot chocolate the house elves make."

Harry thanked Hermione and hurried off to the kitchens to see what he could get in the way of chocolate for Ginny. The closer he got to the kitchens, the more he wanted to turn and run the other way. He hadn't been to the kitchens since long before the battle; back when he would visit Dobby there. He swallowed the lump in this throat and continued on. He knew that Dobby, who cared for people, would want him to take care of Ginny.

The house elves remembered him, of course, and were as helpful as ever and possibly even more so, knowing that Harry had been friends with Dobby. They filled a basket with a large thermos of hot chocolate, and as many cakes, cookies, and candies they could find that included chocolate.

When Harry returned to their dorm, Ginny was just waking up from her nap and coming out of the bedroom. He presented her with the basket full of chocolaty goodies. Her eyes filled with tears and Harry stood utterly at a loss for what had failed in this plan. Sense finally returning to him, he quickly set the basket down and moved to take Ginny into his arms. "What's the matter?" he asked carefully.

"Nothing," Ginny said through her tears.

"Why are you crying then?" Harry asked bewildered.

"Stupid hormones," Ginny hissed. "I'm crying because you are so sweet. You brought me chocolate."

"But you asked me to," Harry said.

"I didn't think you'd take me seriously though," Ginny said.

"I kind of did. But when Hermione figured out why you weren't at dinner, she helped reinforce the chocolate idea," Harry confessed.

"Well," Ginny said, wiping tears. "It's still sweet of you."

"It's my job to take care of you," Harry said seriously. "Just like you took care of me earlier. I was only getting you what you needed."

"You're the best husband ever," Ginny said, kissing him on the cheek. "Come help me eat some of this."

They settled on the couch and, as they ate the chocolate, they discussed the best drills for helping Ron practice for his upcoming tryout.


	38. New Endeavors

The week had flown by. It was already the day before Ron's tryout with the Cannons. Harry and Ginny had been helping him all week to prepare. They had even implemented some new drills into their Gryffindor quidditch practices that were designed specifically to test Ron's keeper skills. He was playing brilliantly; the extra boost of confidence that came from being asked to tryout for the Cannons was a major boon. He just needed to play like this at this tryout and he'd have it in the bag, in Harry's opinion.

Classes for today had ended and it was just the three of them out on the pitch and Hermione watching in the stands. Ron could block nearly all of the goals Harry tried to make, which wasn't surprising as he was more skilled as a seeker. Ginny, on the other hand, was still managing to sink about 50 percent of the goals she attempted. This frustrated Ron, but Harry kept reminding him that he was blocking 50 percent of the shots fired at him by the reserve chaser for the HolyHead Harpies; not just some kid. This only appeased Ron slightly; after all, Ginny was still his younger sister. Despite what a talented player she had turned out to be, part of him still felt like he should be able to play better against her. They practiced until it got dark and they were at risk of missing dinner entirely if they didn't go in soon.

"Well," Ron said with a note of finality, "I guess we'll know tomorrow if it all paid off or not. Thank you for helping me train for it."

"Of course," Ginny said. "You'll be great!"

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Just be confident and you'll be amazing."

"Hermione is going to come with me for a bit of moral support," Ron said. "But I'm not sure she is even allowed to come watch the actual tryouts. She might have to wait somewhere for me."

"We'll come too, if you'd like," Ginny offered.

"Nah, I don't even know if you could watch. Besides, it might be boring," Ron said.

"Well, if you change your mind, the offer still stands," Harry said. "Why don't you and Hermione go have dinner, Ginny and I will clean up this equipment."

"I can help," Ron said, as he stooped to pick up the ball crate.

"We've got it," Harry said, with a note of insistence in his voice. Ron, finally learning that sometimes Harry and Ginny needed odd quiet moments alone, took the cue and set off for the castle with Hermione.

"Want to fly a bit more?" Ginny asked, having understood Harry's dismissal of Ron.

Harry nodded happily at her and together they rose back into the air. It was twilight. The cool spring air was rapidly becoming cold as night fell. The sky was lovely in hues of purple, pink and deep indigo. It was getting dark quickly, but there was still enough light to fly by for a little bit longer. Harry took off flying out of the pitch toward the nearby woods, Ginny took off after him. They were playing one of their favorite games together. She would chase him for a while and then they'd switch. They weren't trying to actually catch one another, more like lead the other on a chase in which they could have time to admire the other in flight. Harry often started this game, loving when it was his turn to chase after his wife. She was a magnificent flyer and the tricks and maneuvers that she could do on her broom never failed to excite him; it was like their own brand of foreplay.

When it grew too dark to continue the game, they landed and finished cleaning up the equipment they'd used for their training session with Ron. Ginny stripped off a layer of clothing when they'd landed and, clad as she was now in just a thin tee-shirt, she was displaying a fair amount of bare skin. Harry watched greedily as she bent to retrieve a quaffle, inadvertently flashing more cleavage than usual. Catching his stare, she straightened up and winked at him. "Like what you see, Mr. Potter?" she asked tauntingly.

"Always," Harry replied with a grin.

"How would you feel about skipping dinner in the Great Hall tonight?" Ginny asked leadingly.

"Fine," Harry said, following her.

They returned the crate of balls to the equipment shed and walked quickly toward the castle, anxious to be back in the privacy of their dorm. Already fully intoxicated with her, she cruelly baited him further by carefully taking down the braid she'd worn her hair in for their practice and shaking it free as they walked. She knew there was something about that action that Harry enjoyed. As they entered the front doors, Harry took her hand and began pulling her more quickly toward their dorm.

"Potter," Headmistress McGonagall's voice rang across the entry hall. "Might I have word?"

Ginny stifled a giggle as Harry's head whipped comically around. He glanced between his wife and the Headmistress before resignedly turned back toward the Headmistress and saying, "Yes, of course." He leaned toward Ginny and said regretfully, "Sorry, I'll meet you up there."

"In the bathtub," Ginny added with a roguish grin and a wink before asking, "You aren't in trouble are you?"

"I don't think so," Harry replied. He squared his shoulders as he watched Ginny's retreating figure before following the Headmistress toward her office.

Once in the familiar circular office, he settled himself in one of the chairs in front of her desk. "I wasn't interrupting anything was I?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes. "I had rather hoped to meet with you earlier in the afternoon, but I missed you after your last class. I take it you were helping Ron to train a bit more for tomorrow."

Choosing to avoid the comment about interrupting anything altogether, Harry said, "Yes, Ginny and I have been helping him practice all week."

"Very well," she said happily. "Well, I have something I would like to propose to you. I have been looking over matters that pertain to our next school year and have come to some decisions." Harry nodded and she continued, "As you know, due to personal reasons, Professor Embers did not last very long into the first term and I ended up taking back the roles of transfiguration teacher and head of house for Gryffindor on top of my role as that of Headmistress. It has been a rather weighty burden and I'm already looking for my replacement in my teaching role. Additionally, I have made a decision about who I think should be head of house for Gryffindor."

She gave him a rather searching look and he began to see what this meeting might be about. "Aren't you worried that I might be a bit young for that job? After all, many of the students left in Gryffindor next year will have gone to school along side me for several years."

"I did consider that, but, Potter, you are very well respected and looked up to. I don't think you'd have a problem commanding their obedience. It will work in your favor that you were Head Boy this year and have not lived in the dorm with everyone for nearly two years now. You are already in an elevated position in their eyes," She explained.

"But, I'll be just out of school myself," Harry argued. "It is already highly irregular to have someone of my age in a teaching role, but also as a head of house …"

Headmistress McGonagall interrupted him then, "Harry, I would not be considering you for this position if I didn't think you could handle it. Actually, there are many qualities that I think make you the perfect candidate for the job. You are Harry Potter; everyone knows who you are and what you did; what student would dare rebel too harshly against you? You are still young and remember what it is like to be young and a student in this castle; you will be able to anticipate how they think and act. Above all else, you are a Gryffindor through and through; what better role model and mentor could our Gryffindor students have?"

It wasn't that he didn't want the job. More so, he was overwhelmed by the faith she was putting in him. What if he failed? He raised his eyes off his hands and asked, "Are you offering it to me or informing me that this is what is expected of me?"

"Harry, I would be honored if you would consider the role of the head of house for Gryffindor. I think you're the ideal man for the job. I will understand if you need some time to think it over before accepting or declining," she said firmly. "One thing to keep in mind, as head of house, you'd be expected to live in the castle for the vast majority of the school year. I know you and Ginny own a house in London, but if you accepted this role, it wouldn't work for you to floo or apparate back and forth. Ginny is, of course, welcome to live here with you. Perhaps we could find her something to do in the castle during her off-season."

"I am interested in the position," Harry said. "But, I need to talk to Ginny about it before I decide anything. Thank you for considering me, I truly am honored."

McGonagall smiled in a way that said she was sure that things would go the way she wanted them to before saying, "Thank you for your time, Harry. I will let you get back to whatever you and Ginny were running off to do."

Harry blushed brightly as he closed her office door behind him. He hurried back to their dorm and let himself in. The bathroom door was open a crack and he could hear the unmistakable sound of water running into a bathtub. He shed his outerwear by the door and continued removing clothes as he moved toward the bathroom. He closed and locked the door behind him before shedding the last few bits of remaining clothing and stepping down into the huge sunken bathtub. It wasn't quite as large as the tub in the prefects bathroom, but nearly. Ginny was sitting, waiting for him on one of the benches around the side of the tub. Harry settled himself on the bench beside her and let the hot water warm his sore muscles.

"So," Ginny said eagerly. "Were you in trouble?"

"No," Harry said pensively. "She had something she wanted to ask me."

Deciding that sitting beside Harry on the bench was not quite close enough, she settled herself on his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she said, "Well, are you going to tell me about it?"

"You're definitely okay with living at the castle full time next school year, right?" Harry asked tentatively, threading his hands into her damp hair and dropping a kiss on her shoulder.

"Of course, we already talked about this. I'm happy to live wherever you are," Ginny said, stroking her hands over his abs.

"Good," Harry said. "She asked me if I'd consider succeeding her as head of Gryffindor House."

Ginny grinned delightedly at him and said, "Wow! Coming from her that is a real honor. She must think very highly of you."

"I'm worried that I'm too young and the students will try to walk all over me," Harry said, letting his eyes drop to the bubbles between their chests.

"Not you," Ginny said nudging him. "Not after what you did last year. Everyone respects you too much."

"That's what she said," Harry said, still not sounding convinced.

"Well, she's right," Ginny said encouragingly, "You'll be wonderful at it."

"I haven't accepted yet," Harry said.

"Why not?" Ginny asked sternly.

"I wanted to run it by you first. She said that I'd have to live in the castle for the vast majority of the school year and I wanted to double check that you were okay with that," Harry said.

"I'm glad actually," Ginny confessed. "I've been reading through more of the introductory materials the Harpies sent me now that I'm officially part of the team; it sounds like there could be nights I need to stay with the team and you'd be alone."

"Like when?" Harry asked. "I get that you need to be on premise for the entirety of the training camp, but when else?"

"Sometimes there are games that we need to travel to other countries for and there are regulations on travel and visa issues. In those instances, I'll just have to travel and stay with the team," Ginny explained.

"Oh, right," Harry said, sounding a little sad.

"It won't be very often. I'll just like knowing that you'll be here surrounded by staff and students and not home in London alone," Ginny said.

"McGonagall also said that maybe they could find you something to do here at the castle during your off-season," Harry said, "When I accept the position, I could mention to her that you have an interest in healing. Maybe you could assist Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing."

"That would be great," Ginny said excitedly. "Off-season is going to be boring if all I have to look forward to is knitting and shagging you every chance I get."

Harry snorted with laughter before slipping a hand between her thighs and asking, "Oh really, shagging me is boring?"

Her eyes darkened as a gasp escaped her lips. She stilled his hand momentarily to say, "No, shagging you is one of the best reasons for my existence; but you'll be so busy being a professor and a head of house next year, I'm going to have to find more ways to keep myself busy during the off season."

"I know," Harry said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I was teasing."

"You may proceed with proving to me how wrong that statement is though," Ginny said, leading his other hand to her breast.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next morning they dragged themselves out of bed earlier than they would have liked to on a Saturday morning in order to have breakfast with Ron before he and Hermione set off for his try out at the Cannons' facilities.

When they arrived in the Great Hall, Hermione and Ron were already at the table. Hermione was urging a white-faced Ron to at least have some toast and pumpkin juice.

"He's barely said two words to me this morning," a clearly anxious Hermione hissed across the table. "We need to snap him out of this."

"I'm fine," Ron snapped at her. "And in case you didn't notice, I'm right here and can hear every word you're saying."

Ginny smirked and said, "He seems to be back to his old self."

Ignoring her, Ron leaned across the table toward Harry and asked, "Why am I doing this? I'm bound to be complete rubbish."

"You'll be fine. You just have to remember to be confident," Harry said.

"How am I supposed to be confident when I feel like I'm going to puke my guts out at any moment?" Ron said peevishly.

"You are an excellent player as long as you don't think about it too hard. Just play, okay?" Harry said.

"Okay," Ron said then repeated. "Just play, got it."

"And eat some breakfast," Harry said forcefully.

Ron turned to Hermione and took the toast and juice she'd been trying to get him to take ever since they'd come down for breakfast. She sighed a little but smiled gratefully at Harry.

They saw Ron and Hermione off in the entry hall. They were going to walk to just outside the school gates to apperate to the Cannon's facilities.

Ginny hugged Ron and whispered, "You can do this! Good luck!"

Harry slung an arm around Ron and said, "Just play."

"Thanks guys," Ron said, then he and Hermione set off.

"Well," Ginny said, "what shall we do to pass the time until they get back?"

"What are the options?" Harry asked, as they automatically began walking in the direction of their dorm room.

"We could nap or study or visit Hagrid or go for a fly or …" Ginny counted off on her fingers.

"I vote for nap," Harry said with a yawn.

"Me too," Ginny agreed.

A few hours later, Harry woke up. Ginny was still peacefully sleeping snuggled into his side. He looked at his watch and saw that it was just past when lunch started down in the Great Hall. He wondered how long a tryout could take? He thought about waking Ginny up and heading down to the Great Hall and maybe Ron and Hermione would turn up soon. Instead, he closed his eyes again, but moments later, his rest was interrupted by loud pounding on their door.

"Gin," Harry said, urgently prodding her awake, "I think Ron and Hermione are back."

The two raced out of the bedroom and flung open the door to reveal an ecstatic Ron and Hermione beaming at them.

"You got it!" Harry shouted.

"Yes!" Ron shouted back.

"He was brilliant!" Hermione said proudly.

"I knew you could do it," Ginny said. "Tell us all about it."

"Sit down," Harry said, gesturing them toward the couch and chairs by the fire. "I'll get some butterbeers."

"Obviously I won the position by blocking the most goals, but I really owe my success to Cormac McLaggen," Ron said happily, before taking a huge swig of butterbeer.

"What?" Harry and Ginny asked in surprised unison.

Ron chuckled and explained, "Last year, most of the professional teams ended up canceling their season due to the war. Cormac apparently had talked the Cannons into letting him tryout for the following year despite his not being on the Gryffindor team his seventh year. So he was one of the other finalists."

"I don't understand how he could contribute to your success," Ginny said.

"Can I tell this part?" Hermione asked excitedly. At a nod from Ron, she continued, "Well, when we first got there, we were sent to a sort of waiting area and whom did we see, but Cormac. He comes over and starts being his usual slimy self. He throws an arm around my shoulders and obviously thinks that I'm going to fall all over myself because he is trying out for a professional team."

"I felt like my head was going to explode," Ron said. "I still can't stand that guy. Hermione plays it cool as a cucumber though. She brushes off his arm and comes over to me. She wraps her arms around me and says to Cormac, 'How ironic that you and my boyfriend, Ronald, are going up against each other today.' "

"You can tell that Cormac is beyond stunned that we are together," Ron continued. "But he didn't say much to us after that. Hermione continues being all touchy-feely the whole time we wait and you can tell that Cormac is getting angrier by the second. By the time we went out to the pitch for the tryout, he was in a right state."

"He totally bombed," Hermione said with a giggle. "I've never seen such bad keeping."

"The other bloke was pretty good though," Ron admitted. "I was actually worried that he was going to beat me, but, in the end, I saved four more goals than he did."

"Congratulations, Ron," Ginny said. "The Weasley family has two professional Quidditch players!"

"That's amazing," Harry said. "I'm a little bit jealous I'm not playing too."

"It's not too late, Harry," Ron said. "The Cannon recruitment representative knows I'm friends with you. He asked if I would extend you an offer to join the team as reserve seeker."

"You know why I can't," Harry said a little sadly.

"I know," Ron said firmly.

"But," Ginny said proudly, "guess who McGonagall asked to succeed her as head of house for Gryffindor?"

"Harry, that's excellent!" Hermione said.

The four of them spent the afternoon talking about what the next chapter in their lives would bring. As bittersweet as it would be when school was over,there was much excitement ahead of them all.

**A/N:** First off, huge thanks to my beta, TerraFerme, for editing this chapter and getting rid of all my pesky little errors. Secondly, I am trying to earn brownie points with all of you by getting this next chapter out quickly to make up for my huge delay on the previous chapter. How am I doing? I like this chapter a lot. I think the next chapter might be a bit of a time jump…don't worry, nothing huge. If you have ideas for me of certain things you want me to include before the end of the school year and graduation hits, let me know. As always, THANK YOU so much for reading and reviewing it means so much to me!

By the way, my anonymous reviews are currently disabled. I have someone spamming me and they have forced me to disable. I'm so sorry. Hopefully anyone wishing to leave a review will be encouraged to sign in or create an account so you can leave a signed review! Sorry again.


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